


lesson time

by ramblesandshambles



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-03 11:46:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 24,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5289494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramblesandshambles/pseuds/ramblesandshambles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Swimming coach and swimming lessons. What could possibly go wrong? Throw in a over sized dog and its all fun and games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is almost finished I've had it sitting in my drafts. Its about 10 chapters long. Hope you enjoy.

"Tara I can't tell what you have done here? I've got my last private swim lesson at six thirty pm. You know I won't teach kids at that time." Carol complained.

Tara looked up from the books that she was working on like she had no idea about what Carol was talking about. For her a client was a client and the man she spoken to on the phone had been very insistent that he had a swimming lesson at this time because it was the only time during the week he had free and he needed his four year old to learn how to swim. Carol was the only one trained in teaching very young children to swim.

"A clients a client... besides, its not like you have anything else to do tonight right?" Tara asked her.

"Trying to teach a four year old boy at that time of night is going to be tough on anyone." Carol complained, "I do have other things to do.... Not really, except maybe just sleeping or rolling around in my bed snoring. Please don't book anyone else in at this time."

"What did you want me to do. The pool is still open until nine pm and we advertise swimming lessons during those times." Tara told her.

"Well those times suck... you need to change them."

"Well you can ring the chairman of the pool committee  and suggest that." Tara told her. They both did the full body shudder like they didn't want to even think about making that call. They both hated the chairman of the poll committee every time they talked to him they felt like they needed to shower. He kept asking Carol on dates and she kept telling him she had a boyfriend but he kept on asking. "No? Well just do the lesson and lets just see what sort of a idiot brings their kid in for a swimming lesson at that time of night."

"A real idiot." Carol agreed.

Carol was shoveling food into her mouth as fast as she could. She was starving and had already taken a shower and was dressed in sweats and a tee shirt. She didn't even have a bra on. She was flicking through her cell phone seeing if she was missing anything anywhere. She really wanted to go home and eat crappy takeaways. 

She had been in and out of the pool all day and waiting for the time to tick by. She even thought about  having a nap while she waited for her last lesson. She'd tossed her wetsuit over the drying racks so it wasn't going to be sticking to her as she put it back on again. Wet suits meant she could stay in the pool a lot longer and she wouldn't get freezing cold, it was a pain to go to the toilet though. 

"Well he said he would pay extra." Tara said looking up from her computer.

"Poor kid." Carol told her.

"Hm... so don't be a cow to him." Tara told her.

"I'm never a cow."

"You just get that disapproving look on your face though. Don't be mean its probably the only time he can come. He's probably one of those parents who wants kids and puts them in day care. What I want to know is why the dad is booking in the lessons. Its normally the mothers." Tara wondered.

"Probably the controlling type. Likes to be in control of everything including every single moment of their kids lives. My dad was like that." Carol told her.

"Ladies... just lying about are we?" Michonne come through the office come staff room to see where everyone was. She was one of the life guards and they had more and more young men and married men coming to the pool pretending to drown so she would jump in and save them. After the fifth time she had jumped in to grab someone Tara told the male life guards that they were to jump in and save these men. They quickly got the message when one of the male life guards pretended he was going to give them mouth to mouth.

"Shouldn't you be supervising the pool?" Carol complained to her. Carol was sprawled all over the couch and there was not even anywhere she could attempt to sit down.

"No one is here. Besides I have Zac watching and there is also Olivia doing the filters and things but there is no one about at all." Michonne said. "But I can hear you both complaining from the front desk."

"You can not... tell us about that guy from the weekend Michonne... what was he like?" Carol switched subjects talking about the guy Michonne had taken home at the weekend. She snuck him in and out of the apartment building complex under the cover of darkness. Everyone thought she made him climb out the window or something. Their apartments were all in the same complex, they used to be a hotel with a huge swimming pool in the middle and a large patch of grass at one end with outdoor seating and a bbq area. Each apartment had two upstairs bedrooms with a balcony and a large lounge, kitchen and a communal laundry.

They all somehow ended up living there, Carol had been there for years because the old guy who owned it let her have her dog there. She shared with her second cousin Aaron who did split shift. But slowly as people moved on more and more of their friends moved into the apartment complex. They all liked living there until it was put on the market and they had word that it had just been brought by two brothers.

 "OK." Carol yawned and stretched out on the couch in the staff room. "Someone wake me at six if I fall asleep." Both Tara and Michonne didn't looked shocked to see her fall asleep before their eyes. She often did take quick naps in her breaks. She loved the water and she loved sleeping. If she could sleep in water without drowning she would. Six fifteen rolled around and Tara shook her awake. Carol got changed into her swim wear and went out to great her new child who was learning to swim. The dad was a hottie but the child clearly wasn't a male not was she four years old. She was about to kill Tara.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hi I'm Carol, nice to meet you. So is this your first swimming lesson?" Carol bent down to shake the little girls hand who was standing there holding a teddy and a lunch box. The little girl tucked the teddy under her arm and tried to shake Carol's hand. Her eyes were taking everything in and Carol gave her what she hoped was an awards winning smile to build confidence in her as a swim teacher.

She clearly was the blue eyed mans daughter. She glanced up at the man who brought the child in, he had on a pair of levi's and a black tee shirt, sneakers and he had oil on his arm and his shirt looked a bit dirty. She took a long hard glance at him from the tip of his starting to grey hair right down to the sneakers on his feet, she tried not to blush because he was watching her interact with his daughter. She didn't normally worry about parents but it was the first time she seen a hot dad come in. He looked like he'd been under a car or something in need of a shower but other than that he looked good.... _really good._

He appeared to be taking her in also, in her wet suit that was molded to her like a second skin. She wished for once she decided to wear shorts and a tank swim top to teach the lesson. He did seem to appreciate her form and he was clearly not gay. He was into woman that was sure, she even noticed a hint of pink on his cheeks.

"For Daddy." She whispered, she looked up at the man holding the bag full of swim suits and towels.

"Daddy's going to watch." Carol smiled again. She was used to children suggesting that they didn't want to swim and someone else was going to swim instead. She knew immediately that she could have her hands full trying to even get her into the water if she thought that Carol should be teaching her daddy instead of hers. "Its ok, she will be fine with me. We don't even have to get in the water just sit at the side. I don't push my students into doing anything they don't want to straight away."

Carol tried not to stare at the ruggedly handsome dad standing there. He was really cute and Carol hadn't seen a guy that took her fancy like him in a long time. Her eyes glanced to his left hand to see if he was wearing a ring... he wasn't but that didn't mean anything now days. Guys tended not to wear rings. _What the hell was she even doing looking at his hand._ She was here to do a job.

"No actually the swimming lesson is for me... I don't know how to swim and...." He blushed with embarrassment. "And I'm scared of water so... maybe you are going to have to try your not pushing students into the water onto me." His face was flaming.

"Oh.... I was confused my booking chart said for a four year old." Carol was embarrassed and she was going to kill Tara, she was standing there holding a bucket full of toys for a young child to play in the pool. "They told me a four year old male... Tara must have got it wrong." She must have gotten it dead wrong and Carol was going to have to drown her, because it looked like she now had to get a sexy forty four year old male who was scared of water into the pool, in swim shorts... _half naked.... with only swim shorts and now she had to touch him._

"I'm um forty four... Daryl... this is my daughter, she's six and she's going to sit and watch if that's ok." He looked about looking for somewhere to sit her down. He kinda pointed to the seats along the side of the pool the benches that spectators could watch from. The little girl headed right over to where he pointed. She didn't argue and she didn't seem to move quick because she was frightened of him it was more of just doing what was expected of her. 

"That's fine... the changing rooms are over there, and if you wouldn't mind taking a shower first," Carol blushed as she took him in. He had clearly come straight from work. "You have oil and dirt... and it will get in the pool.  
  


He nodded that he would do that. He glanced over at his daughter and looked at the changing rooms. He saw the parenting ones and the males ones he seemed to be toying with the idea of taking her with him to go get changed or not or if he was allowed to leave her eating beside the pool. "Is it ok if I leave her sitting over there... she won't run into the pool or nothing..."

"Its fine, its fine..." Carol told him, "I'll watch her, we get her some pens and paper for her to draw with." Carol indicated that the little girl should follow her.  She glanced to her left watching him head towards the change rooms. He was pretty cute, he glanced over at her walking towards the childrens glassed in area for something for the little girl to draw with. Carol glared over to the counter where Michonne and Tara were leaning on it watching the exchange between the two of them. Both women had big shit eating grins on their faces.

"So I'm Carol... what's your name?" Carol asked her as she passed her the paper and the pens.

"You won't laugh?" The little girl asked.

"I promise." Carol promised putting her hand on her heart. She'd heard some crazy names in her time.

"Tinker Bell..." The little blonde blue eyed girl said. Carol bit her lip keeping a straight face. "Daddy said my mom was..." The little girl made a joint smoking sign. "Dad say's not to tell people, he just calls me Belle... or Bella... you can call me Belle... but not Tinker Bell... because people always laugh. I don't live with her anymore, just him."

"Ok Belle... sounds good, lets go see if we can teach your dad how to swim." Carol was surprised with all the information the little girl gave her. She carried the pens and paper over to where she could sit. She helped her open her lunch box and was surprised at its contents but she didn't say anything as Belle started eating. She watched Carol with her eyes as she moved close to the water to start setting up for her lesson. The two little fishes song probably wasn't going to work to get him to put his head under the water.

She glanced over to the counter again and saw two of her friends making rude gestures with their fingers. She turned her back on them glancing at Belle seeing she wasn't paying any attention to anything that was happening anywhere else in the pool except her lunch box and her drawings. She did sense Carol watching her and she looked up with her flashing blue eyes and smiled. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Ok Mr Dixon we were going to have our lesson in the learners pool but I think we will go into the lane pool where it a little bit deeper." Carol smiled confidently at him. 

"Daryl.... how deeps the lane pool?" Daryl asked. He had wet hair and smelt good, Carol could see he had showered and now was looking clean like a spring chicken. He had a pair of board shorts on that looked new and a rash top. his rash top fitted good... real good, so good in fact she wanted to see what was going on under the rash top. He had tattoo's peeking out of the sleeve and it was her one weakness when it come to men. Tattoos were a huge turn on. In fact everything about this man was a turn on. _Think of something else. Dead road kill... flies.... maggots.... argh good old maggots._

"About chest height when you get in and about two foot over your head in the other end." Carol  started to move towards the water. 

She looked behind her to see him staring at the water. His hands were tight by his side, his hands were clenched and he looked frightened. Carol walked back up to him and glanced over to his daughter who was watching him.

"So I thought we could just sit by the side of the pool and chat for a moment, dangle our feet in. Its nice to just have a little break at this time of the day, come on you will be doing me a favour just to chill out for a moment." Carol walked over and sat down, she dangled her feet in. "Come on, I need to find out a few details from you."

She walked over and sat on the side of the pool with her folder and got a pen ready. She glanced over at the little girl sitting on the bench watching them. Daryl saw her and started stepping towards her finally sitting down.

"Ok... ok," he mumbled as he sat down by the pool and looked about , he finally put his feet in the water, he looked annoyed with himself. Carol wanted to get to the bottom of the reason why he wanted to learn to swim.

_"Go dad! Go Dad! Rah Rah!"_

They both turned their heads and looked at the little girl standing doing a cheer from the side line. Daryl gave her a wave and told her to sit down and eat. She gave one last woop and sat down to watch. Carol looked at her piece of paper in her folder that was blank, he couldn't see it because of the way she was sitting.

"So... some details we get from all our clients." Carol told him. "Age?"

"Forty four... you know that."

"Oh right... I forgot..." She lied, "Um date of birth?"

He rattled off a date, she jotted it down.

"Address?" She asked innocently.

He told her an address.

"Phone number? And cell phone.... and do you prefer phone calls or texts?"

He told her his mobile and his home number. "You can ring or text. Ring and if you can't get me don't leave a message I never check them because I forgot the code. But I can read a text message."

"That was my next question." Carol chewed the pen for a moment. "Married? Single? Partner?" She didn't look up at all.

"Is that really a question?" He tried to see her bit of paper.

"Uh huh in case you drown or something... who should I call... a girlfriend or wife?" Carol asked him. "Boyfriend?"

"He's not married or does not have a girlfriend... Uncle Merle says its going to fall off." Belle come over and leaned over Daryl's shoulder. She thought she could help supply the information Carol was asking for. "If you know what I mean... then he winks... that's what he says...." Daryl tried to put his hand over Belle's mouth to stop anything else coming out. "But he say's it every weekend daddy... what's going to fall off?" She asked him. Daryl was blushing and Belle was trying to blurt something else out.

"Go over there and you get an ice cream on the way home if you zip it and don't listen to Merle I told you before." Daryl glanced at Carol who appeared to be trying not to laugh and not to look at him or his daughter.

"He said something about blue balls... I've got a blue ball that bounces and I can kick... I don't think that what uncle Merle meant though." Belle called out from her seat. "What does that mean? Can't everyone get blue balls from the store... they have more than one set of blue balls there?"

"God I'm so sorry." Daryl hung his head. "Belle... shush."

Carol glanced across to the main desk and could see Michonne smirking away, she had heard if not all of it at least some of it. Why did this just happen to her.

"So... that's a no then?" Carol asked with a smile.

"No... single... single dad... or she's going to be a orphan tonight." Daryl nodded to the bench. Belle was no longer paying attention she was digging through his bag and come out with his cell phone and started playing a game on it.

"So my final question is  why do you want to learn to swim Daryl? What made you pick up the phone to ring us?"

"Um... Sophia wants to go swimming and I can't swim." Daryl told her, Carol kept looking at his face waiting for anything else that he might say. "My dad... he used to throw me into the water when I was young to teach me, I couldn't swim and all it did was make me scared and avoid it. Belle thinks I'm not afraid of anything and if we move somewhere where there is a pool ... what happens if she falls in and I'm standing there and can't swim... so teach me."

"Ok... I'm not going to throw you in... but if you want I can help you learn the basic's for swimming." Carol told him, Michonne come walking past and took the file off Carol. She tucked it under her arm and smiled. She stood watching them sitting on the side of the pool from a little distance away. Carol slipped into the pool, turned to face him. "See I'm standing. Do you want to just slide in and stand. You can hold onto the wall?"

Daryl followed what she did. Carol noticed he was holding onto his breath and clutching the sides of the pool.

"You are doing great... really good. Now turn around and face me... Tell me what you like... what makes you happy... food, wine? Music?" Carol asked trying to distract him. "I go walking at night... what do you like to do?" She took one of his hands off the wall and held it. She took the other and was talking to him about music as they walked about hold hands in the water. Michonne and Tara skipped along holding hands behind the counter. He couldn't see but Carol could. _Yip she was going to kill them both_.


	4. Chapter 4

"Daddy likes the lady at the swimming pool, he put her phone number in his phone." Belle told her uncle, Daryl frowned at his daughter, he knew Merle would run with this now.

"It ain't like that... just if I'm working late or you get sick missy I can let her know that I'm not going to make it." Daryl put his head in his hands, his hands were itching to flick her a text to check he had the right find phone number, or some other excuse. She was pretty cute. He would get Belle ready for bed first. It was Monday night the only night a week Daryl didn't work and he'd been at the pool that night with Belle for his second swimming lesson with Carol. His second week of swimming. It went better than the first and he even managed to get her phone number.

"It ain't like that!" Merle mimic'd, "So what's it like then? What sort of swim suits to the swimming coaches wear?" Merle asked, "Maybe I need to come down and watch."

"Don't you dare!" Daryl really wanted to swear at his brother but he looked at his kid and decided better of it. 

He'd only been in charge of her a few weeks. He'd been a weekend dad for years and he finally managed to get full custody of her a month ago. He'd been trying from the time she was born knowing that her mother was too busy partying and the only reason he managed to have her every weekend was because Belle interfered with her partying time.

The last blow was that Belle told him her mom had a new boyfriend and Daryl did a little snooping to find he was a ex con because he'd been interfering with children. He'd given the mom an option of letting him have Belle full time. He'd asked many times and tried to get full custody of her through the courts, he was denied but given weekend access overnight not full time custody. Daryl told her he would take her to court this time and not back down until he had Belle in his care. She gave Tinker Bell up and Daryl told her she could come visit with her any time she wanted to at his place, hell if she wanted too she could stay there with Belle and Daryl would go out. That was a month ago and they hadn't seen her. Daryl heard through the grape vine that She was involved with some not nice people and Daryl was happy because he had his daughter.

Belle's mom had come into his life late as a drunken mistake... a one night stand that become the worlds longest hangovers. He didn't find out she was even pregnant until they bumped into each other after Belle was born and she recognized him when Belle was a few weeks old told him on the spot. Daryl run a dna and it was true the baby was his, he filed for visitations from that day and soon he was having Belle dumped on him a lot of times. 

The first time he had Tinker Bell over night she was barely a month old. Her mom had shown up at the bar and restaurant that he and Merle owned with her. Well she didn't the neighbours did because she was drunk and high. Three in the afternoon a  couple he didn't know strolled into his bar with a pram, a diaper bag and the woman was carrying his baby. He reached out across the bar to take her not knowing who they were and why they had her. There was a bottle cooler sitting in the pram with a can of formula on top. They told him to come out to the car to get the baby's car seat. The man told him that they lived in the apartment next to Tinker Bell's mom and there was a party going on. They decided to take matters into their own hands and get her to take the baby to Daryl.

Craddling his baby in his arms he followed the couple out, Tinker Bell's mom was half passed out in the back seat of their car they made her come with them so Daryl would know they just didn't take the baby. The man introduced himself as T-dog an his girlfriend Sasha.

"The fuck!" Daryl was pissed, really pissed she was rolling around drunk off her face when she had the baby.

"How was she supposed to care for her?" Daryl growled, "Fuck it."

"Its not that bad, she did come over and ask us to watch Belle for a bit, she's been at our place most of the day but we have a party to go to tonight and when I went over there were a bunch of people partying at her place." The woman introduced herself. "I'm Sasha, look I'm helping out a lot, I've seen you coming and going so I thought it was best we brought her to you to look after."

"Yeah its fantastic thankyou for not leaving her, its just I never watched her alone and I really can't have her in the bar. I'll sort it." Daryl said.

"If you are looking for a sitter I have a friend who could come watch her," Sasha offered.

"I either need a sitter or a bar manager tonight." Daryl said.

"I know someone, I'll give them a call and get them to ring you,"

"Yes please, I need to get this sorted out." Daryl took his very young baby inside and wondered how the hell he was going to manage to work and look after her. Lucky for him the person they said would ring rang and a woman by the name of Maggie Greene and her boy friend Glenn Rhee both agreed to come in and help him. He had bar and restaurant staff but he needed more hands to help. He'd kept her for a full week before she showed back up asking for her baby back and the courts told him he had to hand her over.

********

After he had Belle asleep Daryl toyed with his phone and finally read and re read a text and sent it off.

_Its Daryl, this is my number, hope I wrote your's down right,_

_Hi, its me. Thanks for that just going to bed will see you next week._

_Ok._

_Night Daryl sweet dreams. C_

 


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl didn't give swimming lessons a second thought until it was nearly time to go, it was his third lesson, third week and even he was looking forward to heading across to see his cute swim coach. Belle  was sitting at a table at the back of the bar drawing over blank pieces of paper. He hadn't packed her dinner in a box to go and he knew she was hungry again because she asked him twice for something to eat. He moved back through to the kitchen to throw together some dinner. He was lucky because when he was having Belle for weekends she would eat anything and everything for him. 

He opened the fridge and found a see through left overs box and started assembling a meal for her with stuff he could find. He didn't think it was unusual to pack olives and bread sticks, cheese, cherry tomato's and ham and salami for her. He threw in a couple of bits of Sushi too, Merle did think it was unusual but Belle would eat it and enjoy it. He put in some carrot sticks and a small container of hummus dip for her to have. He grabbed a bottle of water and plastic knife and fork. He picked up his swimming bag and he headed out to grab his daughter and go see the cute swim instructor.

"Tink... aaaaaaaaaaa... Belle... lets go." He called out to her, he called her in a sing song voice and she stomped over with heavy feet of him calling her by her full name and drawing it out wrong which he did from time to time to tease her a little bit. She followed him out to the car park and climbed into her car seat.

"Carol's pretty." Belle told him.

"Uh huh, she is.... she's a good swim teacher, by the time we move daddy won't drown." Daryl told her.

"Can Carol come over and play? Does she have any kids?" Belle asked. 

"I don't know maybe you could ask her... or something..." Daryl drove off towards the local swim pool, "don't ask her personal stuff though." Daryl warned her.

"Ok."

"Maybe you could ask her if she's married and has kids though... if you want too," Daryl threw it out there, he felt guilty about using his child to find out if Carol was single.

"Or a boy friend dad?" Belle asked innocently.

"Uhuh... yeah yeah."

"Can I invite her for dinner if she doesn't have anyone?" Belle asked. "You can take her to the restaurant and put candles out and everything... and food. You could cook for her."

"Dinner?"

"You can cook dinner when we move and she can come swimming too?" Belle asked.

"Maybe, lets just wait for a bit, we only met her once." Daryl told her. "Just don't ask her to many personal questions alright, just.... just find out if she's married or something ok." Daryl instructed her. "But don't tell her I asked ya to ask ok."

"Ok... I won't tell her you want to ask her yourself so you made me ask."

"Belle..." Daryl pulled into the car park of the swimming pool. "Remember when I told you you just can't ask people out right stuff you want to know."

"You can't daddy.... but I can because I smile like this and people tell and give me stuff." Belle gave him a dashing smile.

"Belle who told you how to do that?" Daryl looked shocked at the cute little smile she gave him that looked so innocent like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

"Well the other day at the store Merle made me pretend to be lost, so I had to get the pretty lady to take me to the main desk to call him over the loud speaker and he got a date." Belle told him. "You want me to pretend to get lost at the pool? I can cry too, like this." She blinked a few times and big droppy tears welled up in her eyes and dripped down her face. "You want me to do that?"

"I am gonna kill Merle." Daryl muttered under his breath. "No I don't want you to pretend to be lost, just be a nice little girl and eat ya dinner while I don't drown." He was so so mad with his brother right now he wanted to strangle him with his bare hands. "Don't do anything like that for Uncle Merle again. You just tell them that they could do better than ya uncle ok."

"You won't drown cos Carol won't let you drown cos she thinks ya pretty handsome." Belle told him nodding her head.

"Yeah how do you know that."

"Cos she looks at you the way Pingo looks at Lady." Belle told him matter of factly. Daryl didn't know quite what to do with his daughter she seemed to know to much right now and he needed to just get her to calm down and behave instead of trying to hook him up on a date. He didn't know if she would calm down and maybe she could land him a date with Carol... maybe, is she liked sneaky little coached kids.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

"That's a nice dinner you have there Belle, do you like all that?" Carol asked her while they waited for Daryl to go shower and change. Carol had no idea Daryl was a top chief in town and he had tables booked months ahead of time. She would probably know his restaurant though everyone in the area knew it and it was always booked full every night but he just hadn't thought to tell her.

"Uhuh... its ok... do you want some?" Belle offered her some by pushing her box towards Carol.

"No, no its ok, I had a noodle cup for dinner." Carol told her.

"That's not healthy... do you want daddy to bring you dinner too?" Belle asked Carol. "He's good at making dinners.

"No no its ok, I had an apple for lunch." Carol looked surprised that the little girl told her her dinner was unhealthy. 

"Daddy thinks you're pretty." Belle told Carol as she put some sushi in her mouth, and then she started talking with her mouth full. "But I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Oh... um " Carol tried to switch subjects. "So who made your dinner?" She hoped Daryl would come out of the changing rooms quickly.

"Daddy, I live with Daddy and Merle. Daddy makes dinner for me every day. Even when I lived at my mom's place he made my dinner in the freezer." Belle told her. "My mommy gave me noodles and daddy said no and gave mommy dinner to feed me or he brought me dinner to eat."

"Oh..."

"She's gone now..."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"She's not dead....Merle says she was no good and my daddy wants me to live with him." Belle told her. "Merle doesn't like me to call him uncle because he says he's a 'babe' and too young to be a uncle but he's turning.... fifty next week and we are having a surprise party at the bar.... do you wanna come?"

Carol looked up and looked pleased to see Daryl coming out of the change rooms, Belle glanced over at her dad and remembered her goal of finding out if Carol was married.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Belle asked, Carol glanced up towards the father of the little girl walking closer.

"Um no... no kids, no husband, I have a dog though." Carol told her. "She's huge really really big, like a horse. A Saint Bernard... but she has to stay at home because she is not allowed at the pool."

"Can I see her some day? Can we take her to the park for a walk?" Belle tried to arrange a meeting, Carol smiled at the little girl trying to see her dog. If she didn't know better she could swear she was trying to set her up with her dad.

"Tell you what on Saturday mornings I walk her along by the river track. You tell daddy to text me on Saturday by ten am and we will meet and walk her. You can meet her then." Carol told the little girl. 

"Ok... its a date." Belle told her.

"She been talking your ears off?" Daryl asked Carol, his blue eyes flashing to his daughter and back to Carol.

"Somewhat, she told me that you are good at making dinner and invited me to Merle's birthday."

"Did she now, you all can come if you want to its on Saturday at the bar we own, everyone is invited its open doors. First drinks on the house.... your next drink will be on me." Daryl almost flirted.

"Hm I will think about it, also I offered her to come walk with me and my dog on Saturday morning," they moved away from the little girl into the water.

"Thanks she would love that... she would, I'm sure." Daryl told her. He bent down and sat on the side of the pool. He took a deep breath and forced himself into getting in beside the hot swimming coach.

"So are you ready to let go of the side Daryl.... I promise I won't let you go." Carol offered to hold his hand while he stepped away from the wall. As much as he wanted to hold her hand he shook his head and took a tiny step away from the wall.

"Is it this important you can swim?" Carol asked him.

"We brought this place with a pool and if she falls in or something I want to be able to get her out." Daryl admitted. "Its an apartment complex, it has grass and shit, a pool and a kids play area. I think it used to be a hotel."

"Interesting.... that sounds like the pool in my apartment complex." Carol mused, "You brought the Blue Lagoon?"

"Yeah... do you live there?" Daryl glanced at her.

"I do... I do... but we are moving out." Carol glanced at him. "We found out the new owner didn't allow pets. So me and my dog are looking for a new place to live, I think Aaron is coming with us. But then again he said if I blew him I could keep my dog... I assume this is your brother Merle?."

" _He what?_ "

"You heard! Your brother is charming... Aaron offered and he went running off with his tail between his legs, charming, you will lose all your tenants in a week!"

"You live there? You are moving out? Who's Aaron?" Daryl tried to stop the words come out his mouth.

"I did I just handed my notice in today to one of the new owners because the 'no dogs' thing and I move out in three weeks. Aaron's my roommate." Carol looked at the man wondering why he didn't like dogs.

"Do you like it there?"

"I loved it there for four years but now... I think we going to have to find something else its hard because not many let you have dogs, the last owner loved her but now..." Carol tried not to make him feel guilty. She carried on with her lesson not being over friendly or anything. She waved them both goodbye and went off to the staff room to tell them all that Daryl was the new owner of where they lived. 

"We should all move out. No Harriet... no us... stand together." Tara suggested.

Meanwhile out in the car park Daryl was on the phone to Merle chewing him out about the no dogs allowed thing.


	7. Chapter 7

Daryl buckled Belle in her seat and turned the truck on with the air conditioning going. He pulled out his phone to call his bloody brother.

" _You told Carol she couldn't have her dog at the apartments and had to move out but she could keep it if she Blew you?_ " Daryl all but yelled down the phone. "Fuck you Merle!"

"What?"

"My swimming coach.... Carol." Daryl run his hands through his hair. "You told her she could keep her dog if she gave you a blow job!"

"She a pretty little thing with a giant dog?" Merle drawled over the phone.

"You gonna have no cock left when I get a hold of you!" Daryl growled over the phone. "Ring her now and apologize and tell her what ever you have to do to get her to stay."

"But...." Merle said over the phone.

"Just do it. You can't do shit like that you could get taken to court for ... black mail or something. Fuck sakes and stop using my kid as a way to pick up women." Daryl growled down the phone. He was so annoyed Merle was using Belle to get chicks.

"It was just the one time." Merle told him.

"Once too many. Ring her and tell her she and her dog can stay."

"Fine fine, tell her to call of her watch dog, the gay guy. He's stalking me now. Told me he would suck my cock and then followed me out to my car to do the deed." Merle complained. "I think he's sitting outside the restaurant right now... he wants to suck my cock Daryl." Merle complained, Daryl almost laughed. 

"Yeah well too bad... hope it falls off." Daryl told him. He hung up and was getting in his car when he saw someone pull up outside the pool and Carol come out. A huge dog climbed out of the back seat. She swapped her bag for the dog and the car drove off. It looked like she was walking the five blocks to the apartments from the pool taking her big dog with her.

"Look at Carol's big doggie." Belle unclipped her seat beat and opened her door and slipped down to the footpath before Daryl could tell her to stop. She started running towards Carol to look at her dog. Belle stopped about ten feet away and twirled her hair staring at Carol who was walking towards her. "Hi.... doggie..." 

Carol looked at Belle and she looked past her to her dad who was following her at a quick space down the road, Carol gave a tiny wave and pulled her phone out which was ringing. She looked at the number. She looked at Daryl held her finger up and said hello. It was clear she was talking with Merle. He didn't pay attention to what Merle was saying he was too busy answering his own phone to find out his long standing baby sitter couldn't make it tonight. He quickly started scrolling through his back ups. His last resort was to take her into the tiny smoko room and bed her down there then carry her back up to the small apartment above the restaurant. He didn't like doing it because she didn't fall asleep until late. 

Daryl started scrolling the first person in an emergency was Maggie Greenes old man. He would come and sit in the apartment while she slept as long as he didn't have to do anything but watch tv or read the paper. He would do at a pinch. Daryl usually used collage girls because they would do girl stuff with Belle like paint her nails and do her hair, all the stuff Daryl couldn't do and if he was careful and it was a good plait he could get a couple of days out of it. He watched Belle playing with the dog as he made the call, he got turned down by Hershel because he was sick. Daryl scratched his head and knew he better get moving because he needed to do some work before he needed to be in the kitchen. He had another chief on early in the evening while he did lessons and he would come on at seven thirty.

"I'm really sorry about Merle..." He told Carol when he finished the call. "You don''t have to move out because of your dog. Tinker Belle will enjoy seeing a dog from time to time if you let her play."

"Yeah, thank you. I'll think about it... tell your brother I'm not sure calling someone sugar tits is a compliment." Carol didn't look amused.

"I'm going to kill him don't you worry. Come on Belle we need to get you home and ready to go to work with me. The sitter fell through. Night Carol." Daryl picked up Belle and headed back to the car hearing her call out goodnight. He buckled Belle into her seat and she was already complaining about going to the restaurant with him. Daryl just told her that he couldn't do anything about it.

"You could marry Carol then I would have a mommy to look after me.... and a doggie." Belle told him.

"Could I now... it doesn't really work that way.... nice try to get a dog though kiddo.... nice try."

"For Christmas?" Belle asked him.

"For what a dog or a mom?" 

"Both...."

"Belle you know Santa don't bring humans or animals for Christmas right. Hush now while I think ok." Daryl told her. He was busy trying to figure out how he was going to run the restaurant and watch Belle at the same time. He hoped it wasn't going to be a busy night.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

"Calm the fuck down, I invited her here for some nacho's and a chat, I'm going to sign her lease up that she can keep the fucken dog but I'm not cleaning up no shit." Merle tried to wiggle out of the fact he asked Carol to blow him. Daryl wanted to wrap his hands around his neck and squeeze. He didn't know how he felt about Carol. He'd been seeing her once a week for swimming but it was more than that. They had been flicking each other the odd text and he really wanted to ask her on a date, he fought the urge to kiss her every time he saw her. Now his brother asked her to suck his dick she would probably never ever speak to him again.

"You asked her to suck ya dick you wanker, she's a nice chick." Daryl was trying to concentrate on his pre work he needed to get done while hissing words of venom at his brother. Merle was supposed to be managing the bar tonight but he wandered to the kitchen after leaving someone else in charge of the bar, when Daryl stuck his head out and called him back to talk. Merle nodded with his brother that she was a nice chick because one that wasn't nice would have sucked his dick to keep her dog.

"I didn't realize you wanted her to suck your's .... If I knew that I would have told her to suck your cock and we would let her keep the dog." Merle taunted his brother, Daryl almost lashed out at Merle in that moment but remembered his Tinker Bell was nearby and would wonder why they were fighting plus he had staff coming past him helping get ready for the night. Also it would make a mess and he didn't like a mess in his kitchen.

"You are a vile piece of ..."

"Watch it... my niece is in the other room." Merle taunted him again. "You like her... you wanna date her.... you wanna kiss her... you wanna get her to suck...." Merle sung to his brother. Daryl did lash out and punched his shoulder. He walked off to wash his hands again and to check on Belle, she was nearly asleep it wasn't ideal and if people knew she was there in the back of the bar asleep they would get in trouble. 

"Daryl we have a problem... the health inspector is here." One of the young waitresses come in to tell him, he looked up and saw the inspector behind her. Merle sprung to action to roadblock him so someone could deal with Belle before the inspector saw her.

"Take him through the bathrooms first." Daryl told the young waitress knowing they were sparkling because he checked them every night himself. The inspector left with the waitress which brought Daryl some time to run about in a panic about Belle. He thought about sticking her out in the alley asleep with a waitress watching her for one minute. He turned towards the staff room and there was a tap at the back entrance of the kitchen, both Daryl and Merle looked up to see Carol standing there. She pushed the door open and stepped in.

"I'm here to sign this agreement while the iron's hot. Hope its ok I come in this way I've Max tied up in the alleyway." She told them, she looked from brother to brother and seeing the panic in  Daryl's eyes. "Whats going on?"

"Its fine, we just got some things to do... the health inspector is here and I've Belle asleep in the back."

"And."

"He's gonna shut us down she shouldn't be in the staff room at this time of night. Its ok in the day time but... fuck..."

"Oh... why's she out there." Carol didn't really understand what he was trying to say. Daryl was pacing and Merle headed to the staff room wondering if he could hide her somewhere.

"I don't have a sitter and ... _FUCK!"_ Daryl looked frustrated at the whole situation.

_"Oh"_

"I don't know what to do."

"I'll sit with her," Carol offered. "Until you finish or whatever, I'm not doing anything... I mean if you trust me and I don't mind, she's a cute kid."

"I can't ask you to do that especially after what Merle did." Belle chose that moment to come out into the kitchen she hadn't been awake at all. 

"Daddy... " She mumbled in a half sleep, he picked her up and had her on his hip, looking around wondering for a brief moment if he could stash her somewhere.

"Ok Belle say goodnight to daddy and uncle Merle will bring us the nacho's he promised soon." Carol told Belle, Carol rescued the whole situation when the inspector come into the kitchen with the waitress. "Hi Richard how are you, how's Jonathan?"

"Carol, hi what are you doing here ... he's fine, he's looking forward to swimming tomorrow." The inspector come across to greet Carol. She gave him a extremely friendly smile and almost batted her eyelashes at him. She managed to get the inspector flustered by asking about his kid. Daryl and Merle were impressed. Carol didn't seem phased by the whole situation and lying to someone point blank to help Daryl out. He wanted to kiss her right then and there his thanks.

"I'm moonlighting... helping out a friend with baby sitting and we got hungry." She reached out for Belle who went to Carol easily and she looked at Daryl's face to figure out where to go. She didn't know if she should go through the kitchen or to the alley or where was his apartment.

"Are you going to be alright on the stairs?" Daryl led her to the internal stairs to his apartment. She nodded and he mouthed thank you and Carol managed to carry the little girl up the stairs. Belle pointed out where the room was and where to go.

"I think I will be fine.... please bring you know who up," She whispered the last part and shortly Daryl sent a waitress off out the back to walk the dog up the main stairs to the apartment. 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Carol walked right into a tip mess, she had to put Belle down so that she could actually push the door open. Her eyes darted everywhere taking it all in. 

"Holy heck... what happened here?" Carol said out loud.

"Daddy won't hire a cleaner for our apartment because he doesn't like anyone in here more than he has too. The nanny was sposed to fold the washing but she just talks on her phone all night to her boyfriend." Belle told her. "Merle dumps his shit everywhere."

"Belle... language." Carol tried to growl a tiny bit at her. She looked about and it wasn't dirty but more like someone had just dumped their stuff everywhere.

"Daddy says it." Belle told her. "He says worst stuff and tells me not to repeat it."

"That's good Belle, you shouldn't repeat swear words... or daddy's business." Carol added in. 

She didn't know where to look first there were toys everywhere and piles of washed clothes piled onto the couch. Half attempts to fold were on the table. Dishes overflowing the sink. Tinker Belle pointed to a bedroom which was hers and Carol pushed open the door. Inside the bedroom was completely different to the rest of the apartment. Daryl must have taken care to keep her room tidy at least. Carol put Belle into her bed. She looked about for a book to read her a story.

"Do you want a story?" Carol asked her.

"Will you marry my daddy?" Belle asked Carol, "I really want a dog."

Carol smiled and shook her head. "Not tonight darling not tonight, but you can come play with my dog anytime you like once we are all living in the same apartment complex, we can go swimming and don't tell uncle Merle but Max likes to swim in the pool too."

"Really, I can't wait.... but daddy doesn't know how he's going to pack everything and work and uncle Merle is a pig..." Carol looked surprised and the little girls comments. "He is... daddy said so... daddy also said...."

"Shush now... " Carol crooned at the little girl before she got an earful of swear words or information that she didn't want to hear about Daryl.

"But daddy said that he shouldn't talk to you like that that.... Uncle Merle said daddy was sweet on you and daddy went all red like a strawberry.... I like strawberries." Belle blurted out to Carol. "A crush... and then Uncle Merle said kiss her already... that's it... that's all they said about you and not to do a blow off!"

"A blow off?" Carol giggled.

"A fart..." Belle whispered. "Merle shouldn't fart... daddy said girls don't like guys talking like that and uncle Merle shouldn't have asked you to blow off... or fart." Belle had clearly overheard a conversation that she shouldn't have, Carol tried not to giggle about the farting.

"I promise I won't fart in front of them... go to sleep now." Carol whispered, she bent down and kiss her little forehead. "I'll just be in the other room I'll fold your clothes ok."

"Ok... don't worry about farting in front of daddy... he farts all the time." Belle told Carol.

"Good to know. Night sweetheart." 

"Uncle Merle plays a game called 'pull my finger!" Belle blurted out as Carol walked out the door. Carol bit her lip but snorted anyway as she walked out to the lounge. There was a tap at the door as her Harriet arrived to come into the apartment. Both Carol and her dog looked about the lounge to try find somewhere to sit. Her hands were itching to clean up. Her dog arrived via the other entrance. Harriet padded around checking the place out and finally found herself a place to sleep after she gave her some water.

Carol gave up, she wanted a cup of tea and while the inside of the fridge was packed with healthy yummy food, it was the only area clean in the whole place. She unloaded and loaded the dishwasher. Put away stuff where she thought it should go. Put a load of Belle's washing in the machine, it looked like Daryl had things separate. 

She pottered around, stacking and putting stuff away. She folded the clothes. Folded his jeans and shirts. Left his underwear which looked like boy-leg short in the washing basket. She moved about to put them away. She pushed open a door to the other bedroom, she was surprised to see a massive bed and a pretty tidy bedroom. It looked like only the living areas were a problem in the house. She put his washing on his bed. She'd looked out the door into the hall and it looked like at one stage there were rooms above the hotel and Merle lived across the hall.

It was late in the evening when Daryl made his way upstairs, to his credit he did send the house special, a steak and a desert upstairs for Carol with one of the young waitresses for dinner a few hours ago along with a note that she was sure the waitress read on her way up the stairs.

_I owe you big time, whatever you want I'll give you._

There wasn't a great deal that Carol wanted or needed. She could only think of one thing that she could really use Daryl for. She sighed and scratched that off her list, she was as bad as his brother asking for a blow job. Except what she was wanting was more than that and it wasn't something that she wanted to out right ask him for. She needed a boyfriend. She needed one by the following Saturday night to go out to a work dinner where that guy from two towns over just kept hitting on her over and over. He'd even asked to be her date and she told him she had a boyfriend.

Aaron had offered but Carol turned him down since he already knew he was gay and had a partner already. She needed someone new and fresh that was outside her normal circle of friends. She was going to bite the bullet and ask him. He could only say no.... he would probably say no because he would have to run his restaurant. Plus he had Sophia. She heard weary feet climbing the stairs close to midnight, Carol had been down the stairs twice during the night to let her dog go pee against the lamppost down the street a little bit.

"Hey!" He come in and shut the door behind him. "Carol thanks so much for what you did tonight...... you saved me more than you know....I'm sorry I can't take you home Merle's gone off with this chick he's been.... well you know and no one else is here to watch Tinker Belle.. I can give you my keys to my car if you want?" He looked shattered, "Or you can stay over. I can sleep on the couch," He looked about just realizing his place was tidy. "Wow.... you didn't have to do all this."

"Its ok, I was just sitting here... Isn't that what baby sitters are supposed to do? Tidy up?" Carol asked him.

"Shit my baby sitters don't... they make a mess and go home."

Carol started to move off the couch and Daryl looked panic'd by her movements.

"Shit I didn't mean you have to go home... I want you to stay." He blushed like mad at the way it sounded. "I mean...whatever I say next is going to sound bad isn't it?"

"Probably..."

"I ain't Merle, I'm not asking you to stay because ... you know, but... I'm uh.... I think I'll just go tuck Belle in...." He bolted out of the room before he said something really embarrassing to her. Carol sat watching him leave the room. She tucked her legs back up underneath her and waited for him to come out. He was out very quickly, he come into the lounge unbuttoning the top few buttons of his chief uniform. He was all in black, he looked deadly sexy.

"So do you have many of your baby sitters sleep over?" Carol needed to know.

"Ain't had no one do nothing since... fuck... Tinker Belle is six now. That's about the last time I had someone sleep over."

"Really?"

"Yeah... I basically had her off and on until a few months ago I got her full time. You like kids though don't you?" He looked worried all of a sudden that maybe Carol didn't like kids at all or maybe he had got it all wrong and she wasn't interested in him at all.

"I like children but I don't think I could eat a whole one...." Carol told him.

He looked at her and a small snort come out of his mouth and nose. "Stop!"

"Depends how you cook them though." Carol said.

"Smart arse are you." He was amused at her comments and as tired as he was she was making him smile.

"That's what my friends say." Carol mused, "So....."

"So.... I ugh um... I'll be about five minutes. I am going to take a shower ok..." Daryl told her, he was thinking that he was going to need that long to give his dick a pep talk telling it to calm down. It had picked up that Daryl was very interested in Carol and it was raising its head to say it approved. Daryl almost groaned out loud as he managed to step under the shower. He didn't even have time to do anything but wash himself all over. 

He was standing under the water when he heard the bathroom door click open. He had a slight second of panic when he realized it was her. "Daryl... is this ok? I kinda feel like there is something between us... can I talk to you while you are in there? I won't look.... unless you want me too." She had her hands over her face, just her nose and mouth exposed. "I want to tell you about the funniest thing your daughter said tonight."

Daryl groaned not knowing what Belle could have said to Carol. "Its fine... do I even wanna know what she said?"

"Hmm it appears she heard you talking about blow jobs.... and she thought you were talking about blow off's ... farting... and pull my finger were talked about." Carol took one hand off her eyes and felt along the wall for something to lean against.

"You can take you hands off your face and look if you wanna... I mean... shit if this is what you want?" Daryl turned off the shower and reached for his towel wrapping it around himself as she took her hands off her face to look at him.

Her eyes were everywhere taking him all in. She saw it all the reason why he wore a top while swimming. He just stood there with her looking at him so he turned around to show her everything. She still didn't say anything. He turned back and looked at her again, her eyes looked haunted.

"Well I approve... are you going to take the towel off too?" Carol asked him.

Daryl looked at her waiting for her to react to his body, she knew she had to acknowledge it, she shook her head, "I don't care... who ever did that to you better not met me in a dark alley, I'll set my dog on them."

"That dog?" Daryl pointed out the bathroom door to the huge dog sound asleep on the floor on top of a soft toy in his lounge.

"Yeah... you didn't have to show me." Carol said quietly, "But I'm glad you did."

"I didn't know I was going to show you.... but... I don't know, I wanted you to know before this went any further."

Carol stood up and walked across to him, she traced one scar with her finger. She leaned in and kissed him quickly. "I liked you because of the way you were with your daughter, the way you pushed through your fear of the water, the way you talk to me... but now I've seen that sexy bod... I think I have a bit of a crush now." he pulled her closer to kiss him some more.

 


	10. Chapter 10

"I have to move... I don't wanna," Daryl whispered kissing Carol again.

"Stay..." Carol whispered.

"Can't... Belle will be awake soon and asking lots of questions if she sees us together in bed." Daryl kissed her one last time, groaned and rolled off his bed.

They hadn't slept together, not because they didn't want to but because they didn't have anything to use and they wanted to take some time without jumping into bed together having sex off the get go in what ever this relationship was. There had been kissing, touching and a whole lot more kissing and touching and dry humping. Carol's lips were sore now with the amount of kissing there had been.

Carol rolled onto her back watching him move around in his boxers to find some sweats to pull on. He dug through his newly folded clean clothes for jeans and a tee shirt so he could go shower before his daughter woke up. She watched his muscles in his body moving this way and that. Daryl was a fine looking man. She could watch him all day long. She stretched out under the covers on his bed. He bent down and tossed her a tee shirt and her pants she was wearing. She groaned and tried to roll over, she was so tired. She was so glad she had the day off.

"Get up lazy, I'll make you breakfast." he tried to bribe Carol.

"No...I'm too tired." Carol told him. "What kinda breakfast?" She mumbled from under the covers.

"Whatever you like."

"Chocolate bars? and popcorn?" Carol mumbled from under the covers.

"You have to be joking?" Daryl tugged on the blankets. "That isn't going to give you any energy for the day."

"I have it all the time. If you melt the chocolate bar and dip your pop corn in it its just like cereal." Carol told him, "I can show you."

"I would rather drink a vat of fat." Daryl told her. "Pick something or I will just make you something." 

"I told you, popcorn and chocolate." Carol pouted. Daryl just put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"Get dressed and come out when you are ready I will make you something, its not going to be that gut rot either." Daryl told her quietly and slipped out the bedroom door. He quickly checked on Belle she was still sleeping and he was going to have to get her up for school shortly. He rolled his neck because he was stiff and sore, it wasn't his neck that was the only thing stiff and sore, he had to go take a shower because he jizzed in his boxers more than once over night.

Daryl grabbed her huge dog which was scratching at his door to go outside and he looked about grabbing the lead took it down stairs to go to the toilet. He groaned on every step, he felt like he had run a marathon or something, he needed to get some serious sleep because he didn't do well with no sleep, his temper was short with everyone and he grew more flustered with his cooking. 

"Come on dog, just pee," Daryl told Harriet, she spun about a few times on the tiny bit of grass outside and finally squatted. He was thankful she just did number one's even though it was bucket loads of pee. He managed to get her back inside the apartment with no drama and she jumped up on his couch looking at him as if he was in the wrong just standing there staring at her. He just shook his head and went into the bathroom to shower.

Carol was up lacing up her shoes when he come out of the bathroom. She as drinking a glass of juice and eating some left over cake he had in there. He frowned because she looked ready to go and she was eating cake for breakfast after he told her he would cook her something.

"I'm going to head out, I have heaps to do so... Belle will be up soon and you won't have to explain why I'm here and all that jazz." Carol told him, she walked over wrapping her arms around his neck leaning in to kiss him with chocolate cake still on her lips. "So... wanna play later? I'm off for the next two days... and I need a favour."

"Yeah what do you need?'

"I need a date," Carol told him, "For a work thing to throw off this sleaze ball."

"Ok... explain?" He was confused about what she was saying. "What sleaze ball... As long as I can get cover and its not on Saturday because I'm doing a wedding..."

"Its three weeks from now. Its on a Thursday night... "

"Sounds fine, get me the date and time I will organize someone else to work or I will close the restaurant down for you." Daryl told her.

"You will not... " Carol smile. "Its the twenty ninth... at eight... so you should get Belle asleep, and its actually in your restaurant.... Surprise." Carol told him.

"For the state area council?" Daryl was shocked, "I don't know if I can do it... be your date I mean."

"Well can you just come out of the kitchen and grope me a little?" Carol asked him.

"How about I set you up with Merle... he's the groping brother." Daryl teased a tiny bit.

"No... dammit I didn't think this through. I didn't really know you were the chief... maybe ... is Merle doing anything that night?" Carol wondered.

"You are not joking about it are you? You would take Merle as your date."

"I'm desperate. This guy is capital ickky factor." Carol told him.

"What about the other women at your work? What do they do?" Daryl asked.

"Well last time Michonne planted a kiss on Tara so he thinks they both are lesbians." Daryl looked mildly interested in her tale. "Tara is... and Aaron is too gay to pass off as my boyfriend."

"He's your cousin too right." Daryl looked confused.

"Its not as if I was going to make out with him at the table... just take him on a date... anyway... " Carol kissed him again. "As Merle for me if he wants to have a date with me that night."

"You want me to ask my brother to take you on a date... the one you want to castrate because he asked you to blow him?" Daryl looked shocked.

"Uh huh... you said you would do anything... thats what I want..." Carol kissed him quickly and patted his butt. "Text me later ok." And she left leaving a shocked face Daryl standing there watching her and her dog walk out of his apartment. There was no way in gods earth he was going to ask Merle. He would pull in a favour or two of a old friend to take on this date of hers and he would watch them like hawks.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Carol was watching behind her curtains watching Daryl carry in a box with his daughter balanced on his shoulders, they were moving straight across the courtyard from Carol and Aaron. The pool and green yard in between them. There were other apartments scattered around. Daryl and Belle were moving into their own apartment and Merle was moving into on on his own. She wasn't spying on her new boyfriends she told herself, it was mainly that she couldn't help herself but watching what was going on. 

He was adorable, he was devoted to his daughter she could tell he would fight lions for her. He was completely different to anyone she had ever dated before. He cared about her, rang her, invited her to his restaurant for a late dinner one night, he also was respectful with her space also. He knew when he over bearing with her and pulled back and three weeks later he was moving in. Not with her but into her patch of the neighbourhood. 

She didn't think it was odd that he was originally going to take a two bedroom apartment that he swapped out and moved into a four bedroom one across the courtyard from her. More space he had told her, just because. Harriet was scratching on the door to get out and go play with Sophia.

"Shush... be quiet." Carol told her dog as she scratched on the door.

"I am... I'm on my tip toes... are we spying on the sexy boyfriend?" Aaron tiptoed through the lounge to peek through with Carol.

"I was actually talking to Harriet, not you." Carol said looking over her shoulder at her cousin, "He's pretty hot."

"Uhuh... who's that other guy?" Aaron whispered. "I think I know him."

"You know Merle Dixon?"

"I don't know know him, but I've seen him about town... ask Michonne... she might know him." Aaron whispered, he opened the door to let the dog out, Harriet ran across to the apartment that Daryl went into. They heard swearing and a crash of broken glass or something.

"God Damnit!" They heard from inside the apartment, "CAROL!"

Carol and Aaron spent a couple of seconds pushing each other out the door to go find out what problems the dog caused in Daryls house. Carol was shoved out he front door by her stronger cousin, she heard the snip of the lock behind her. She would get Aaron later for doing this to her.

"Oh hi... you moving in today?" She tried to frein innocents as her boyfriend walked around the pool and yard towards her, he didn't too very happy about whatever Harriet had done.

"I hope you know how to get jam off your dog." He bent down slightly to give her a kiss. "And Belle."

"Jam?"

"She's licking it off the Fairy now." Daryl grabbed her by the hand so she had no choice but to follow him.

"You know you shouldn't really call her a fairy you know... she might think you are teasing her."

"I am.... Tinka bella.... starts to smella..." Daryl teased his daughter as he entered the apartment. Belle was standing still covered in jam which Harriet was licking off her. Daryl appeared to have lifted her away from the glass and left her standing still in the foyer of the apartment. Carol could see the glass in the kitchen behind them. "My water isn't hot so you will have to bath her... I'll get you some clothes." 

He wandered over to a suitcase on the kitchen table and pulled out some clothes for Belle.

"You want me to bath her?" Carol had never bathed a little girl, did she need to bath her.

"Well you just have to make sure she doesn't drown, just put her in and she can do everything just call out check she hasn't drowned or anything while I clean up the glass and sticky stuff ok?"

"Ok, come on Belle." Carol said to the little girl, she didn't know how she was going to take off her top without getting jam in her hair, Carol couldn't help herself as she reached out to take a tiny bit of jam off her shoulder and taste it. "Yum..."

"I made it, do you like it?" Daryl asked her. "Maybe I could put it on toast for you one morning?" He gave her a wink because  he was staying over at her place that night, it was for the first time they been over night since the night she baby sat for him. Merle was going to watch Belle in his apartment because he moved in yesterday and had a spare bedroom set up for his niece already. Daryl had lied to her saying he had to sleep at the old place tonight but really he didn't want to camp out on the floor. So he was spending the night with Carol.

They told Belle that they were special friends and that was it, she didn't ask but as Carol took her hand to lead her over to her apartment Belle looked at her dad, "Well kiss her good bye."

"What?" Daryl blushed red.

"You always kiss her good bye... so kiss her already." Belle told her.

Daryl moved close and gave Carol a tiny kiss on the cheek in front of his daughter, Belle snorted much like her uncle Merle. "You didn't kiss her like that last night." Belle grabbed  Carol's dogs collar and started walking out of the apartment while Carol and Daryl stared at each other embarrassed that his daughter must have seen them kissing last night when she left, she must have looked out the window or something.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Carol was washing Belle's hair in the tub trying to work out how on earth her father even managed to wash it and put conditioner through it. She rocked back on her heels smiling at the little girl who had the same eyes as her daddy. She had managed to wash the long hair without getting any shampoo in her eyes. Belle was very adorable and very much like her daddy. She finished rinsing and started putting conditioner on her hair to help get the tangled hair untangled.

"How does daddy get your knots out?" Carol asked Belle.

"He doesn't..." Belle tried to tell her, Carol gave Belle that look that let her know she did let her daddy comb the knots out. "Fine... he combs them out with the conditioner in before he washes it out. But you could just use scissors... my hair is too long and daddy forgot to get it cut."

"Belle I'm not using scissors on your hair, daddy will get it cut for you if that's what you want. I'll get a comb and try get these knots out ok, be back in a tick." Carol told her. Carol stood up to move out of the bathroom, she thought she already spent to much time in there as Daryl said she could bath herself. Carol just was worrying that something might happen to her while Belle was under her care.

"Ok... what's that razor for?" Belle pointed to the pink razor in the shower caddy.

"For my legs, or arm pits, but you don't need to worry about that yet." Carol told her. Carol reached up and took away her razor and Aarons so Belle  didn't get any ideas about shaving anything and cutting herself. She was the type of kid that could take an idea and run with it and Carol had no intentions of taking her back to Daryl with cuts on her legs because she got it into her head to start shaving her legs on Carol's watch.

"Are you sure you can't cut my hair?" Belle asked Carol again. 

Carol glanced around the bathroom and couldn't see anything that Belle could possibly get into. Everything was way up high and also the stuff down low was stuff that she wouldn't be interested in anyway. She doubt that Belle would go through drawers or anything. Belle had touched and picked up everything in the bathroom to look at while Carol had run the bath. She didn't seem to have the idea that she shouldn't touch other peoples stuff yet. Probably because she was being raised by her dad and uncle that they didn't own anything that Belle couldn't touch. Carol however had already taken away her make up bag and lip sticks promising to do her make up later if daddy said it was ok for Carol to let her play with make up.

"I'm very sure. very very sure." Carol told her as she headed to her bedroom to get a comb to comb out her hair. She had to look in two different places for a comb and by the time she arrived back in the hallway Belle was calling her from inside the bathroom.

"Don't worry Carol I cut the knots out myself!" Belle's voice come out from the bathroom. Carol stopped walking and all sorts of images flashed through her head. How had Belle found scissors?

Carol run the last few feet, she put her hand to her mouth as the hair floated around the bath around Belle and she had Aarons toenail scissors in her hand. Aarons bathroom drawer was hanging open and there were wet foot prints across the floor from the bath to the sink. Aaron's stuff was everywhere.

"No!" Carol took the scissors out of Belles hands. "Your daddy's gonna be mad at me.... and you... Belle how could you. Those are Aaron's things." Carol wanted to scold the little girl. "Belle we gonna have to get the conditioner off and take a look at it again."

Carol rinsed off the hair and looked at the hack of a job Belle did on her hair. Daryl was going to kill her and then they would have to live across from each other. Carol rubbed and Belles hair to try dry it. It wasn't looking good, it was long right down her back on some parts and short above her shoulders in other parts. She grabbed the clothes that Daryl had given her then she was going to take her over to Daryl to try explain why his daughter looked like she'd been through the weed wacker after being in her care for half an hour. He would never let her watch her again.

"Daddy's gonna be mad?" Belle looked into the mirror trying to fiddle with her hair. "I wanted a hair cut.... and I did it myself."

"Belle... let me talk to daddy first ok." Carol took her by the hand to go out to see her dad. Belle walked behind Carol having lost her nerve as she spotted her daddy coming out of their apartment across the courtyard swimming pool.

"All done?" He called out to her across the yard.

"Kinda... we run into a problem... um," Carol started walking towards him but it was too late, Daryl had already started shielding his eyes to get a better look at his daughter. His face paled and a whole heap of expressions flooded his face, anger, dismay, shock! He started walking towards them. Carol stopped walking waiting to see what was going to happen when he too in the full effect of Belles hair.

"Belle!" Daryl stared at his daughter.

"I just took my eyes off her for a few minutes... I went to get a comb..." Carol tried to explain. "I'm so sorry." 

Daryl mumbled something under his breath as he moved close to his daughter and turned her around to try figure out if it was even fixable. He stood up and shook his head.

"Why did you do that for?" He looked mad, he sounded cross and Belle gave him another twirl showing off her outfit and hair. He run his hand through his scuffy hair he didn't know what else to say or do. He glanced at Carol and she looked so worried about Belles hair, she was twisting her hands around and around worried because she never seen him annoyed or mad yet or how he could react to anyone if he was pissed off and right now he had every right to be pissed off.

"Because I want to look pretty." Belle told him. "Do I look pretty?"

"Well its your hair and you gotta go round looking like that... what you gonna do when uncle Merle sees it?" Daryl asked Belle. "What do we do?"

Daryl looked completely of of his depth about what to do with the hair and with his daughter in that moment. He also looked like he was trying to get himself under control from yelling at anyone because his daughter cut her hair.

"We? She's your daughter?" Carol said.

"On your watch!"

"She got out of the bath and went through Aaron's things.... I'm so sorry..." Carol felt like she was going to cry because he was mad at her and Belle hair looked truly dreadful. "I didn't think she would go through the drawers in the bathroom... I took the razor away when I thought she was thinking about shaving her legs."

"I'm sorry.... I shouldn't be mad at you... Belle... you need to apologize to Carol." Daryl scolded his daughter, "For getting into things and cutting your hair."

"I'ma sorry daddy's mad at you but I like my hair like this." Belle told Carol.

"Take her to a hairdresser?" Carol suggested. Belle didn't seem to be worried about her hair as she danced around the green grass. "Andrea... she lives in 3b she might know what to do."

"Is she home?" Daryl asked, Carol looked along and saw the window open to Andrea's apartment so she looked like she would be home. Carol nodded, Carol hoped she would be able to fix Belles hair and she also was thankful when Daryl grabbed her wrist to stall Carol from walking away back to her apartment.

"I'm sorry.... I shouldn't have tried to blame you... Belle... she's difficult because... well she's Bella... I should have warned you that she does that." Daryl told her, "She hasn't been with me long enough to know she shouldn't do stuff like that." 

Carol nodded, "Would you like me to take her to Andrea?"

"Please... I have no idea what to do with her hair..."

"Um... she also wants me to do her make up... can I?"

"Make up?"

"Just for fun... like her nails and stuff. I promise I won't do anything bad." Carol said. "Girl stuff... you wouldn't understand." Carol told him.

"Thankyou... girl stuff would be nice for a change than a farting contest with Merle." Daryl gave her a kiss and called Belle to come over and go with Carol to get her hair fixed.

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

Daryl finished a night in the restaurant and was moving through the courtyard around the pool towards Carol apartment to go spend the night. He had stopped by his own place to take a shower and change his clothes. Carol had told him he could shower at her house but he didn't want to go shower there for the first time he spent the night there plus he was nervous because it had been a long time since he spent a night with a woman. 

He tapped on the door and opened it. Aaron was on the couch, he glanced over his shoulder at Daryl. He had a bottle of beer in his hand and he held it up to Daryl as a way of greeting him. Daryl gave him a quick nod and slipped inside the door. He took a few steps inside the apartment and could tell straight away Carol was no where to be seen. He was anxious because she had told him that it would only be them there that night but having her cousin greet him blind sided him. He didn't want her cousin knowing what they might be doing in the room next door. 

"Hey man hows it going?" Aaron called out, Daryl could tell he had had a few and looked quite happy sitting on the couch, and Daryl just wanted him gone. Why was he still there he should be out with his boyfriend or something. "Carol's not here... she went out with Michonne." Aaron told him.

Daryl nodded standing there with a small bag not knowing what he should do next. He tried to keep his face neutral so that Aaron wouldn't know he was sad about that.

"Aaron stop it!" Another head popped up from Aaron's lap, a guy Daryl didn't know, "I'm Eric... Carol's already in bed reading or something... talking on the phone or what ever she does."

"Eric you promised you would play along," Aaron complained at his boyfriend, he bent his head to kiss him, fully aware both of them were annoying the heck out of Daryl by being there which is why Aaron insisted that they hung out at his place. Aaron had a bit of a playful mean streak about him, he was fair enjoying making Daryl feel awkward.

"But his poor little face looks so sad when you said she was out." Eric sighed and put his head back down on Aaron's lap turning his head back to the tv. Aaron began running his fingers back through his boyfriends head again. Daryl tried not to let them know that they were annoying him and their little plan worked. "Don't be mean Aaron."

"Eric you never could play a prank," Aaron tousled Eric's hair and they went back to the tv program they were watching. Eric glanced over to where Daryl was standing, he was feeling bad that he let Aaron talk him into hanging about until the chief arrived for a night in with Carol. He and Aaron had semi argued about it because Aaron liked to be nosy, but now after a few beers he was being a pain in the arse towards Daryl.

Daryl was still standing there shuffling from foot to foot. He didn't think he was going to have an audience all night. Carol never said anything about her roommate who was her cousin would be home. But then again where would he be going he lived there after all.

"Oh Daryl... don't be shy just go up the stairs to the first room on the left. Eric and I are going over to Eric's place when this finishes." Aaron told him. 'Just in case you have a case of stage fright."

"Aaron stop it or I'll be leaving you behind." Eric growled at his boyfriend, he rolled off the couch and went to his hands and knees on the floor. He stood up and stretched. Daryl could see the front of his jean's were unbuttoned and god knows what he walked in on, Eric buttoned up the front of his pants as if Daryl wasn't even in the room. Daryl didn't care he had lived with Merle for years. He only ever felt really embarrassed if he walked in on someone having sex and that had happened more than once with Merle as your brother.

"Get your shit and lets go before Daryl here runs off home." Eric told Aaron, Eric had car keys in his hand to drive. Aaron looked about and Eric had to point out his bag on the ground. There were eight empty beer bottles on the table, Daryl assumed Aaron had drunk all of them due to the fact Eric was holding intelligent conversations and Aaron was behaving like a rat towards him. Maybe he was defending his cousins honor Daryl wasn't sure.

"Spoil sport." Aaron grabbed a sports bag from the side of the couch and followed his man across, both of them shook Daryl's hand. Eric pressed two condoms into his palm and wished him well. Aaron gave him a dirty glare and both of them headed out the front door. Aaron stopped before going out and called out upstairs "Daryl's here for nookie!"

"Aaron!" Eric hissed and wacked his butt pushing him out the door. "I'm so sorry Daryl... he's had a couple of beers and he gets a bit mouthy and cheeky after he's been drinking. See you tomorrow, he's going to have a sore head tomorrow."

Aaron waved and walked out the front door, tripped over his own feet and tried to right himself up. Daryl and Eric watched in horror as he tumbled head first into a potted plant. For the first time Daryl was pleased the swimming pool was fenced. Two feet the other way Aaron would have ended up in the pool. Eric picked him up and apologized to Daryl again and held Aarons hand the whole way out to the car park.

"Hi..." 

Daryl turned around to Carol's voice.

"Is Aaron pissed?"

"I think so... You look good." Daryl took her in, he didn't know if this is what she normally wore to bed or not. She was just in boxer and a tank top but she looked sexy and cute to him.

"Thanks... come upstairs." Carol turned off the lights and grabbed his hand leading him upstairs. "Um Daryl you know how we fixed Tinker Belles hair while you went to work... well Andrea let her watch 'Toddlers and Tiaras' and now she asked if she can do a full make up like the little girls on there."

"Uhuh..." Daryl was busy kissing Carol's neck. "Thanks for looking after her."

"Its ok." Carol let it go and was busy kissing Daryl back and she could always tell him tomorrow that Belle asked if she could do a pageant. 

 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Daryl sat down on the side of the bed pulling Carol onto his lap, he wrapped his arm around her back stroking up the back of her tee shirt stoking her bare skin. He sighed as he leaned into her. He had been waiting for this night for a long time waiting to spend the night in Carol's bed taking their relationship to the next level. He kissed her neck slowly and she gave a tiny shudder.

"We still all go for tonight?" He asked her quietly. 

"Still go for tonight? Yes..."  Carol leaned in and kissed his mouth quickly. "Are you going to talk all night?"

"No... I just don't want to assume." Daryl run his hand up and down her back again and leaned in to kiss Carol again.

"Assume?"

"Well We been waiting I'm just wondering if this is still a go or not... not because I don't want too." Daryl said.

"Kiss me." Carol growled at him, she started kissing him again and tugging his shirt up. He leaned back to let her have better access to the bottom of his shirt, he let her go leaving her balanced on his knee as he lifted his arms to let her pull it up over his head. She feasted her eyes on his chest and arms and run her hands across his chest, back up again then across his shoulders. He pulled her shirt over her head, she was bra less and he fell onto his back holding onto her taking her with him.

Carol squealed and giggled as he pulling her onto top of him. 

"You stopped at the drug store on the way home didn't you?" Carol whispered to him.

"Oh fuck... are you joking?" Daryl asked her. "You said tonight was here?"

"I had your daughter I couldn't go on  a condom run." Carol told him, she rolled off him as he moved under her.

"I'll run to a garage." Daryl was starting to pull on his shirt again.

Carol couldn't believe he forgot to stop at the store to pick up condoms. He probably had some in his apartment but no one knew where anything was in there. 

"Hang on, I'll see what Aaron has..."

"You gonna steal condoms from a friend." Daryl didn't know about digging into another mans's stash.

Carol was out the door topless before he even finished his sentence.  

"Carol...." Daryl hissed after her, it was too late she was in the bathroom pulling open Aaron's drawers digging through the mountains of  products he had in there. She come up empty, Daryl come into the bathroom seeing stuff everywhere and Carol trying to shove it all back in the drawers. "I can go to the store... are you just going to run about topless?"

"Yeah... " Carol stood in the door way of Aarons bedroom. She knew he wouldn't bother asking her to borrow a condom, she looked around and went for his sock drawer first because she knew him like the back of her hand. Hiding them in the bedside table would be the place someone would borrow them from. But the sock drawer, Carol pulled it out and bingo. Two full boxes of condoms, she took a box and held it up like it was a trophy.

"Aaron's going to kill you if he finds himself out..." Daryl told her.

"You want me to put them back.... it will serve him right he broke my dolls leg when I was five, he owes me..." Carol told him.

"So you are repaying him, twenty five years later."

"Yes... now shut up please and go lie on my bed like you were before you forgot to get condoms on your way home." Carol crossed her arms across her chest remembering she didn't have a top on.

"I ..." Daryl just shut his mouth and went back into her bedroom not about to mention that it was both their faults. They needed to sort out birth control or something and sort it out soon otherwise Aaron might not be so friendly towards him if he was banging his cousin and using his rubbers to do it with.

"That's what I thought!" Carol walked into the room dropping her boxers as she came in and straddled Daryl who was now sitting on the side of her bed waiting for her. "So Mr Dixon what sort of lesson were you after tonight?"

Daryl stroked his hand up her back and into her hair and pulled her forward to give her a lingering kiss. He also managed to wriggle back on the bed with her still on top of him. He liked having her sit on his lap. He brought his other hand up to cup and palm her breast.

"God you are beautiful," He whispered huskily as he moved his mouth to catch a nipple flicking it with his tongue.

Carol's hands moved to his jeans and she tried to unbutton them but she couldn't get them.

"Wait a minute." 

Daryl moved her off him and he stood up beside the bed pulling off his shirt and his pants. He climbed back on the bed and over the top of her kissing his way up her body from her belly button. Carol moaned as he nuzzled her ear.  They heard a door open and a crash as something fell to the floor. Carol and Daryl both stopped moving listening to whomever it was.

"I'm ok... stop babying me..." Aaron's voice come wafting up the stairs. Daryl jumped off the bed and shut Carol's door. He climbed back on the bed and started kissing her again.

"Wait..." Carol whispered.

_"Aaron, just settle down a minute you are going to pull your stitches or something. Calm down I'll get you a nice drink of water._

_"I just wanna sleep!"_

_"Baby, you gotta stay up a few hours so I can keep an eye on you."_

Carol was up and dressing to go see what was going on, Daryl pulled the sheet up over his naked form groaning knowing his night was probably ruined as Carol dressed to go check on her cousin. She went down stairs to see Aaron with a big bruise on his forehead and a patch of his hair shaved with a few stitches in it.

"He's fine, just misjudged the sidewalk outside my place. I had to take him to the ER and he insisted on coming back here." Eric told her. 

"They cut my hair Carol..."  Aaron was swaying on his feet and it took both her and Eric to get him to his seat.  "I'm fine... go back and fuck Daryl's brains out..."

"Aaron... have some class.... don't say that." Eric growled.

"Don't fuck his brains out Carol... make love..." Aaron decided to correct himself.

"Call me if you need anything." Carol gave Aaron a tiny kiss on his forehead and gave Eric a sympathetic look at having to look after ot only her drunk cousin but her drunk injured cousin. She moved quickly up stairs back to her room only to find Daryl sprawled out on his front naked sound asleep. 

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

Carol woke up with something hard rubbing up and down her back. One hand began stroking up and down her side. Her eyes opened and she squinted at the alarm clock seeing the time was clicking on to two am. Daryl was awake and he must have realized he had fallen asleep on her now he was doing his best to try wake her up. His hand was tugging her shirt up so he could touch the skin on her belly. 

"You awake?" She felt a wet kiss at the base of her neck. 

"Mmmm..." Carol stretched and moved her neck to the side to give him better access to her neck.

"Babe... you let me go to sleep." 

"No... you just fell asleep," Carol mumbled. "Now I need to use the toilet."

He let her go and rolled onto his back waiting for her to come back. She was taking forever. He shut his eyes for a second then he felt sleep trying to come so he rolled himself right out of bed. He pulled his pants on up over his hips and didn't bother to do the buttons up. It was just in case he run into Aaron or Eric he didn't want them getting a look at the goods, the goods were complaining that they were not getting an outing. Daryl went to the bathroom to find Carol in there brushing her teeth and fiddling with her hair. That's what was taking her so long.

"What are you doing?" He almost used his daddy scolding voice with her, she looked up and caught his eye in the mirror.

"I'm nervous."

"Why?"

"Its our first time... and ..." Carol started to tell him, he nodded and turned about fiddling with the shower curtain. He turned the shower on and dropped his pants and indicated for Carol to follow him in. 

He could understand that she was nervous if she hadn't been with anyone in a while and they had been dating about six weeks without anything big happening in the bedroom except a great deal of dry humping and feeling each other up by slipping their hands into each others pants and tops. Seeing her naked was something he was most looking forward too because he had see a few parts of her naked, and her in a wet suit but he wanted to get her wet and naked right now.

Carol watched him stepping into the shower, she thought it was a bold move on his behalf and wondered if she could push herself to get fully naked in front of him. It went back and forward in her head of what she should do.

"Don't over think it just get in here."

Carol dropped her boxers and pulled her tank top off, his eyes took the whole of her in one foul swoop. His dick if it wasn't hard before it was rock hard right now. Carol's eyes dropped down to it and she smiled. She was so tired right now but stepping into the shower and wrapping her arms around his body. She leaned in and put her head on his chest. His arms went around her and he just held her.

"You are so cute..." He kissed her hair.

She didn't say anything, she didn't want to deny that she felt cute right in that moment or she didn't feel so cute right in that moment. But she was enjoying just spending time with him, he began stroking his hands up and down her back. He reached for her shower gel behind her and started using it to wash her body. His hand slipped between her legs and the other hand was rolling a nipple between his fingers.

Carol grabbed a dollop of shower gel to rub onto Daryl, she started rubbing it over his chest and his broad shoulders. She leaned in to kiss him, his hand moved up from her breast into her hair. He groaned as Carol's hand wrapped around his dick and started stroking him. Carol moaned when she heard knocking at the bathroom door.

"I'm really sorry... Aaron's need's to puke." Eric's voice come through the crack.

They quickly rinsed them self off. Carol passed Daryl a towel and just picked her clothes up to hold in front of her as they ducked out of the bathroom. 

"Cover yourself up," Daryl whispered to her.

"Daryl... they are gay... cover yourself up... because you will be getting stared at." Carol whispered to him, Daryl blushed like mad when he heard that they might try look at his dick. 

They slipped out of the bathroom and Daryl crossed his arms across his chest as both Eric and Aaron glanced him up and down as he followed her out of the bathroom. He heard Aaron say something to Eric about him and he scooted in behind Carol to her bedroom.

Carol was still soaking wet and she pulled the towel off Daryl to use it to dry herself. He grabbed the other end of the towel to dry himself. When he thought he was dry enough he leaned in to kiss Carol again. Carol pushed her whole body up against him. He hooked her leg up over his hip. His mouth went to her neck and he walked her backwards to the bed. Carol crawled up the bed backwards as Daryl crawled up her body.

"You ok?" He asked her.

"Yeah... you don't need to keep asking me."

"I don't want to assume." Daryl told her. "You can always say no..."

Carol opened her legs to him, Carol pulled his mouth to his lips, "I want you,"

He reached across to the box of condom, ripped one open and rolled it on himself one handed. He lined himself up with her and nudged himself into her slowly. Carol hooked her legs around the back of his legs as he drove himself home slowly. He stilled waiting for her to let him know she was ready, she let him know by bucking her hips towards him. 

"Please..." she panted.

Finally after a night of missteps Daryl and Carol managed to move their relationship to the next level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

Carol woke up snuggled into Daryl's side, they had just finished another round of love making. Daryl lifted his head to look at the time, it was already after nine and he knew Belle would be missing him.

"I should go get Bella," He told Carol, "Would you like to spend the day with us?"

"Um... Daryl."

"You don't have too, just I know Belle would love to spend more time with you."

"Um... before you pick up Tinker Belle... she might have gotten it into her head that she wants to do a pageant... or something like that." Carol told him quickly, she kissed his neck hoping to distract him from her words.

"Carol... how would she even know about that?" Daryl's voice held panic that his little girl wanted to do something that he really had no idea of how to go about doing it.

"Well Andrea put it on the tv for her while she was fixing her hair then she did it all up pretty like those little girls then Bella wanted to know if I'd let her do a pageant or something." Carol told him, "I swear I told her it was something she had to ask you and I didn't have any pull with stuff like that."

"A pageant... like what... they dress them up like little adults?" Daryl screwed up his nose.

"Well I don't know I never did them... Andrea did though. I think you should talk to her about it." Carol run her hand down his chest. "But I don't know if she just doesn't want to do some more girly stuff like glitter nail polish and pretty hair ties... lets face it, you and Merle are not that great and doing french twists and things like that. Andrea could show you how to go about doing it."

"Maybe... should I make more of a effort on trying to get her mom to do stuff with her?" Daryl asked Carol.

Carol didn't much like that idea of him inviting her bio mom back when she had done such a bad time with Belle for so long.

"Maybe she wants to do a dance class or something? I have some swim classes with little girls in I could squeeze her in if you want?" Carol told him. 

"You don't want me to try get her bio mom to do stuff with her?"

The question hung over them and Daryl almost regretted asking the question of Carol. Carol wanted to scream that no she wanted her bio mom no where near Belle. She also knew she didn't have the right to tell Daryl what to do with his daughter because they were only dating and had only been dating for such a short time.

"I want... I want... Tinker Belle to be happy... and if she is asking for her bio mom then you should see if she will see her but if she isn't asking I wouldn't go looking for trouble where there is none Daryl." Carol told him. "Belle seems happy with you and Merle."

"And you, she likes you Carol." Daryl hugged Carol to him tightly.

"But I'm not her mom." Carol said. "So I don't really get a choice in what is best for Belle."

Daryl listened to what Carol was saying and he mulled it over. He eventually spoke, "Carol... if you are with me... Belle is always going to be there, I..."

"I know, I really like Belle, I know you two are a pair." Carol told him.

"But if we are together, you and me it also means we are a family... its you, me and Belle. I think you need to think about that... I don't know if you have or not." Daryl told her.

Carol wanted to blurt out that she had thought about it, she had thought about nothing else but him and Belle for weeks now since the first swimming lessons. She didn't know if he would freak out if he knew she had been thinking about more little mini Daryls around. She loved him, but was scared to tell him. She loved Belle and she would probably cut Belles birth mom if she come within a few feet of Tinker Belle and hurt her feelings. She didn't know what to say to him right in that moment or would he freak out.

"I love Belle... I love you too." She blurted then slapped her hand across her mouth to stop the next sentence which was talking about making more babies. 

Daryl rolled onto his side and pulled her into a small kiss, "I love you too..."

Carol kissed him again, "Daryl... I know its early and we are still in early stages and...."

Daryl looked at her wondering what she was going to say next so he gave her a nod to keep talking.

"Do you... would you... um I mean... Would you marry me?" Carol asked him the question that shocked the hell out of him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

"Are you serious?" Daryl asked after a couple of minutes, Carol was starting to squirm because he was as still as a board while she waited for him to talk, she was about to bolt out of bed but he was holding onto her too tight.

"Yeah..."

Daryl pulled her even closed so she had no choice but to turn and face him.

"You get me a ring?" Daryl asked her.

"No... Stop... " Carol tried not to smile as he brought his lips close to hers to kiss him.

"Tink?" He questioned her.

"Your daughter too..." Carol told him, "Both of you even your crazy brother... Please Daryl don't just stare at me."

"Yes... " he leaned in to kiss her, "Yes..." he kissed her again and then he rolled her on her back and kept kissing her until they were both breathless. "I still have to go to get Tinker Belle.... Do you wanna go downtown and pick out a ring for me today?" he battered his eyes at her.

"Sure... how do you know I haven't brought you one?" Carol asked him.

"Have you?"

"I might of..."

"You did?" Daryl sat up in the bed staring at her, the sheets draped around his waist. He looked surprised and still didn't knkow if she was having him on or not. She tried not to look at how sexy he looked in that moment and she was toying with the idea of giving him the gift she brought last week or not. It wasn't a engagement ring yet it was a ring that she saw that she was going to give to him for Christmas, but she could give it to him now.

"Don't tease me and I'll get it."

It was a plain white gold ring that she'd seen and brought on impulse thinking that she could give it to him for Christmas but in the back of her mind she did have an idea to ask him to marry her but she never in her wildest dreams ever would think that she would have courage to even ask him. He just watched her as she moved off the bed pulling the top sheet off of him and wrapping it around herself as she moved away from the bed.

"Where you going?"

"Its downstairs... I will be a minute."

"No shit... you really got me a ring?" Daryl asked her with wide eyes pulling up the duvet to cover himself in case Aaron and Eric stopped by. "Carol?" He watched her disappear from view and heard her going down the stairs. He looked at her clock and grabbed his phone to text his brother to let him know he was tied up. Merle text back stating he didn't want to know about his or Carol's sex positions and Daryl was smiling at his phone when Carol come back into the room. She looked nervous.

"Hi..." She whispered. "Everything ok?" she looked towards his phone.

"Just letting them know we are running late."

She moved closer to the bed and opened the bag she had in her hands she pulled out a box and looked at him.

"Daryl Dixon will you marry me?" She opened the box and it had a tiny little charm bracelet with a couple of charms hanging off it. Carol looked down and frowned. "Shit... hang on."

"Wait... did you get this for Tinker Belle?" Daryl pulled it out and looked at it. He reached out and pulled at the sheet wrapped around her, so she fell into him. He kissed her deeply, he was touched she had brought something for his daughter. Carol pulled away and started going through the bag again.

"Yes... but you're ruining it. Give it back and take this one." Carol tossed him the other box she had pulled out of the bag.

"How romantic.... tossing me the ring." Daryl said he had the box open and had the ring on his hand really fast. He kissed her again and climbed out of the bed pulling on his jeans and a tee shirt. "Wait here."

Carol watched him run out of her bedroom and heard him running down the stairs. She didn't have to wait long as she heard him running back up the stairs, he dropped a ring box in front of her. 

"Got you something..." Daryl said with a shy smile.

 


	18. Chapter 18

“You haven’t?” Carol breathed as she reached out to take the box off the bed, Daryl snatched it back up again and hid it behind his back.

 

“You want it?” He teased her, “You have to pay for it.”

 

He leaned forward to kiss her and Carol rocked back on her bottom just out of his reach, she giggled, the whole morning was just crazy. Had they both really brought each other rings for Christmas.

 

“Kiss me or you get a smack on the bum,” he growled at her, he moved closer slowly over the bed and Carol tried to move back again and fell off the end of the bed to the floor looking very undignified with her arms and her legs all over the show. “See what happens when you don’t kiss me, you land on your butt.”

 

He reached and pulling her up and back onto the bed. He snatched a kiss and threw the box up in the air. Carol watched it falling knowing he was waiting for her to reach out and grab it and he would pull some trick on her by snatching it before her.

 

“Do it properly then.”

 

“You want everythihng don’t you.” Daryl pulled her into his arms and onto his lap. “Marry me?”

 

“Of course,” Carol turned her head over her shoulder and caught his lips with a sizzling kiss. Daryl opened the box to reveil a ring that Carol couldn’t believe he knew it was her. Three rows of tiny diamonds that were all fitted into the band. She loved it, she liked it even more because it wouldn’t catch on anything and she could wear it all the time.

 

“Its beautiful.” Carol whispered looking at it as Daryl slipped it onto her finger.

 

“Was going to wait till Christmas.” He told her.

 

“I was too, I’m glad we didn’t.” Carol said.

 

“Just one thing… Tink.” Daryl whispered. “Do you want me to ask her or do you want to be there?”

 

“I think you should go spend the day with your daughter and tell her and I will see you both for dinner tonight.” Carol told him quietly, “She might like me but she might have questions for you that she doesn't want me to know about or something.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“I don’t know whatever she wants to ask you… like where we will live and sleep and stuff like that.” Carol said. 

 

“In my bed… that’s where you will sleep.”

“Be serious please, take her to do something fun then tell her.” Carol said.

 

“I don’t know why you are so worried, she loves you… she been wanting this too.” Daryl told her. Carol couldn’t help but worry that maybe Tinker Belle might worry that Carol was going to take her dad away from her. Carol worried that the little girl might also ask about her birth mother and they would have to deal with the fall out from that. She didn’t tell Daryl all her concerns for fear she might actually jinks them.

 

“She does love you, and your over sized dog,” Daryl teased her.

 

“And you know the over sized dog comes with me don’t you.” Carol warned him.

 

“Are you sure she can’t stay with Aaron?”

 

“Are you sure Tink can’t stay with Merle?” Carol shot back. Her dog was her baby and she knew Daryl was only trying to tease her. “Right now, give me a kiss and I don’t want to see you until dinner time.” 

 

Carol crawled off his lap and stood up admiring her ring. 

 

“You look good like that.” Daryl said as he rolled out of bed looking at his own ring.

 

“What?”

 

“Naked… wearing my ring.” Daryl walked around behind her wrapping his arms around her and shuffling them across in front of her mirror, both of them naked and his arms were criss crossing across her breasts. He kissed her neck, “You sure we don’t have time to do it in front of the mirror?”

 

“Daryl Dixon… you perve… go take a shower and go see your daughter.” Carol moved out of his arms and tossed him his towel to go take a shower and cool off. He walked away and turned to show her he had a big hard on and pouted. “Shower now.”

  
Carol couldn’t help but smile as she moved about and climbed back into her bed to think about what she could do for the rest of the day.


	19. Chapter 19

“So you like Carol?” Daryl was pushing his daughter on the swing at the park, they had just had lunch at a cafe and now they were working it off by playing at the park.

 

“I love love love her…. She could be a fairy… she’s so little like a pixie, do you think she knows any pixies?” Tinker Belle asked him.

 

“I don’t think so… its just her hair Tink she not a pixie at all.” Daryl made a mental note to tell Carol what she said because Carol would laugh about it. “I wanted to talk to you about Carol,” Daryl told her, he put his hands on either side of the chain on the swing and walked around to the front of the swing. “Its important.’

 

“Did you break up with her?” Belle asked him.

 

“No? Why did you ask that?”

 

“Cos Uncle Merle keeps throwing women to the curb… is that like what you do on trash day… cos I looked for them and I never see them.” Tinker Belle told him.

 

Daryl made another mental note to tell his brother to pull his head in around his daughter and watch what he says. 

 

“No… that just means that the women were too good for Merle.”

 

“To good for him? Is Carol too good for you? Are you going to put her on the curb?” Belle asked him.

 

“No… I’m not going to put her on the curb… how would you like Carol to live with us?” Daryl eased into the conversation.

 

“Forever?”

 

“What if we got married?” Daryl asked her. 

 

Tinker Belles face went into a huge smile and then she looked behind Daryl and her face fell. She was looking at something over his shoulder.

 

“What about her?” She nodded in the direction of some homeless type of people they had seen on the other side of the park when they come into the park. Daryl shot a look over his shoulder to see what had caught Belles attention. “What about my real mom?”

 

Daryl pulled Belle out of the swing fast and probably a bit rough as two people were approaching them.

 

“Got any money?” Tinker Belles mom looked strung out on drugs and Daryl held the little girl tight. Daryl shook his head.

 

“Can get ya some food… got no money.” He told her.

 

“Got any money for mommy Tinker Belle?” She slurred, she was swaying and Daryl could see track marks on her arms. He could see that the guys she was with were rough and one appeared to be holding a knife. Daryl wasn’t taking a risk even talking to her with Bell around..

 

“No..” She burried her face into Daryl’s neck. 

 

Daryl didn’t know what he should do as some of the others who had been with Tinker Belles mom started coming over, some looked rough. 

 

“ _ Hang on.” _ He whispered in his little girls ear, she tightened her grip on her daddy as he just started running for the exit of the park. Belles mom and the small group with her were surprised at his sudden exit that they didn’t even follow, Daryl looked up as he buckled his little girl into the car seeing Belle’s mom looking like she was shooting up at a park bench. He would bring Belle back to that park again and as soon as he was down the road he would be ringing to report them to the police.

 

“Is Carol going to be my new mommy?” Belle asked her. “I don’t like her, I don’t want to go back with that one.”

 

“No Belle you won’t, but we will see if we can’t get her some help or something.” Daryl drove home with Belle looking out the window talking about Carol. 

  
When they arrived home he couldn’t stop Tink from running straight for Carol’s place. She banged on the door and flung it open, demanding to Aaron to find her new mommy for her. Daryl followed at a slower pace because he was talking to Rick Grimes on the phone. He couldnt help but smile seeing his little girl wrapped up in Carol’s arms as she dropped kisses on her forehead.  Now he was going to have to see if he could do anything to help Belles mother get into rehab or something.


	20. Chapter 20

  
  


“How’d it go?” Carol greeted them with a kiss happy until she saw his face.

 

“Not great,” Daryl sent Belle off to play with the dog. “Saw her mom at the park off her face, thought they were going to go after us or something.”

 

“Oh my god.”

 

“I ran a cop friend of mine, they are going to pick them up and I told him she needs to go into rehab.” Daryl told her.

 

“Did Tinker Belle see her?”

 

“She did but she didn’t know she was off her face.” Daryl said. “She knows you are going to her new mom.” 

 

“She’s ok with that?”

 

“She’s pleased I didn’t put you on the curb like Merle does women.” Daryl bit his lip trying not to laugh.

 

“Merle needs to behave and treat women better.” Carol said, “And if he thinks he’s getting an in with Andrea I’m going to warn her to keep away from him.”

  
  


“Maybe I need to warn Merle about Andrea?” Daryl suggested.

 

“Maybe if we give them enough rope they will hang themselves.”

 

“Or tie each other up to the bed post.” Daryl said.

 

“What are you going to tell Tink about her mom?”

 

“Nothing.” Daryl said, “Unless she asks then I will tell her she’s gone somewhere for help.”

 

Carol nodded, she could tell the whole situation had affected Daryl but he wasn’t really talking about it more than what information he told her. They went inside Daryl’s place and played with Tinker Belle then Daryl recieved a phone call. He went outside to take it. Carol kept glancing towards the door while he was out there waiting to find out if it was news about Tinkers mom.

 

Daryl come in and raised his eyebrows and indicated she should follow him to his room. When she got there he was running his hands through his hair.

 

“Rick said she’s in hospital and she's talking crazy like I stole Tinker Belle or something. I have custody papers stating I have full custody. Rick said I should go down and talk to her into going into rehab.”

 

“Ok… do you want to?” Carol asked him.

 

“Kinda… what do you think?”

 

“I think when Tinker Belle is older she would want to know you tried to do everything to help her birth mom. But I don’t want her any where near that little girl in there. I’ll rip her eyes out.” Carol told him, she meant it too. She did not want her anywhere near either Daryl or Tinker Belle enough was enough. “Do you want me to come with you?”

 

“Belle?”

 

“Aaron can sit with her or Andrea?” Carol suggested.

 

“After Aaron performance last night Eric might be a better choice.” Daryl suggested.

 

“I could get Tara, she’s good with kids and she’s free right now. She text me before telling me she would come over for a coffee around now.” Carol told him. 

  
Daryl agreed to let Tara watch Belle while they went out. Tara was surprised when she arrived with take out coffee that she was left babysitting the little girl. Carol drove to the hospital because Daryl was nervous about what they were going to find when they arrived at the hospital. She could not expect anything else. She was nervous that Belle mom might try start some custody battle. She need not have worried because Belles mom was so strung out when they arrived she did not even know who Daryl was.


	21. Chapter 21

Carol looked in the mirror she smoothed down her dress. She sighed because she was supposed to be taking a date tonight but now going to have to go alone because she did not want to get into a messy situation about having to explain an engagement ring to her sleazy chairman of the local pool committee. 

 

Daryl was already at work and promised to step out of the kitchen to be introduced at her partner if he needed too. Carol finished the last few touches of makeup when she heard little feet pattering into the bedroom that Daryl and she shared.

 

“Are you a princess?” Belle asked Carol.

 

“No sweetheart, I’m just dressing up for work dinner I’m going to at daddy’s restaurant, and uncle Aaron and Eric are going to watch you for me.” Carol told her through the mirror.

 

“Uncle Merle is working…” Belle said. 

 

“Yes and we all have to go in for tonight, I need to to baby sit my dog.” Carol had given her the responsibility of looking after the huge dog that now followed her everywhere.

 

“When are you going to marry my daddy?” Belle asked her.

 

“I am not sure.” Carol said. “Soon, we want to get married soon.”

 

Carol held her hands out for the little girl to cuddle her, Carol gave her a kiss on her forehead.

 

“I’ll talk to daddy tonight.”

 

“I can’t wait till you are my mommy.” Belle whispered.

 

“I’m already your mommy baby,” Carol hugged her tight. There was a knock at the door and Carol sent Belle to go let Aaron and Eric in. She could hear giggling coming from the lounge room. She could not imagine what they were getting up to out there.

 

Carol slipped into her silver shoes and took one last look at her dress. Daryl was going to flip out when he saw her, the dress was backless and had a scooped neckline. She had tapped her boobs in so they would not go anywhere. Double sided tape. Andrea had come over earlier to help get them in.

 

Her dress was not a classic black dress but it was silver.  It was not something that she would normally wear but she saw it in the shop window and she had to have it. Ever since she picked up that Daryl liked silver on her. He went mad when she wore a silver bra and pantie set. She hoped that the dress had the same effect.

 

There was another knock at the front door and she knew it would be Michonne and Tara. They all agreed to go to the dinner together. Both women looked beautiful. They certainly would be turning people's heads. The three of them together would be knock outs.

 

“You look stunning,” Tara gave Carol a huge hug, “Are you sure about Daryl? One hundred percent?”

 

“Carol’s going to be my mommy!” Belle put her hands on her hips and glared Tara down.

 

“I was teasing, Carol loves your daddy, don’t worry,” Tara told the little girl.

 

Michonne had a huge grin on her face at Tara being put in her place by a little girl. Carol kissed Belle and promised a treat under her pillow when she woke up because she looked like she was going to cry. Now all she had to do was remember to get something.

 

Carol convinced Michonne to let her run into the corner store to pick up something for Sophia so she did not forget. Carol caught everyone's eye as she walked to the toy aisle and looked at everything.

 

She picked up a couple of things and then picked up some bubbles to blow with Sophia in the morning outside. She paid and climbed back into Michonne's car.

 

***************************

The bar and restaurant were closed to the public for the private work event for all the local swimming pools and management. Staff had come from one hundred miles away. Carol knew some of them but not all. 

 

Merle let out a low whistle when he saw the women walking into the bar. He just about dropped the bottle of wine he was pouring. 

 

“Damn ladies you look fine tonight!” Merle whistled.

 

“Thanks… I think.” Carol said. She accepted the glass of white wine he passed over the bar.

 

“There is a slimy prick worse than me… guess that’s the guy you all are avoiding?” Merle asked them quietly.

 

“Yes… that would be dick face.” Tara told him quite frankly.

 

“Is Daryl in the kitchen?” Carol asked Merle.

 

“Yes… but there is not going to be a great deal of work going on when he sees you in that dress… maybe you should just not go in there.” Merle laughed.

 

“Can you hold this until we go? Its for Belle.” Carol passed the small brown bag over behind the counter.

 

She headed past the tables of people sitting and drinking. She spotted dick face and wanted to get away from him so she slipped into the kitchen. Daryl was putting food on to platters. He was thankful he wasn’t using a knife when he saw her in the dress.

  
“Is it over yet? Can we go home?” he asked her, coming over and kissing her. He run his hands down her bare back and she shook her head and whispered later.


	22. Chapter 22

 

Carol took Daryl’s hand and led him back into the dining room to introduce him to the member of the board and her work mates that hadn’t met him yet. She was proud of him him. She was pleased that he managed to keep the sleazy board chairperson away from her. He went back into the kitchen and finished cooking for everyone.

 

When the kitchen closed Daryl changed his shirt in the staff room and came out to join Carol on the dance floor. He spotted her with her friends doing the step and glide moving around the floor. He moved close behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her.

 

The bar had closed and the restaurant was shut and for now it was just the girls from the swimming pool and their boyfriends. She turned in his arms and leaned in kissing him. 

 

“Hi,” Carol said, he could tell she was tipsy and knew she had been drinking and she was running her hands down his chest. “I missed you.”

 

“I can tell.” He grinned and stepped from side to side holding her in his arms.

 

She snuggled into his arms and relaxed letting him sway them to the music, Merle was starting to wind things up. The bar was shut down and both Merle and Daryl were driving the ones who were left home. Daryl was interested that Merle seemed to be showing a lot of interest in Andrea more that he should of for just having met her.

 

The fact he was holding her hand and trying to hide it from everyone let her know that they were more than just friends and this was possibly the women he had been hiding from everyone. Daryl was staring at his brother and gave him a tiny wave to show him that he actually saw him.

 

Daryl managed to get everyone out into the cars and back to the appartments with little bother. Carol was handsy in the car, when he came around to help her out she pushed him up against the side of the car and started kissing him. Not that Daryl minded. He run his hands down her back and sides then whispered that they should probably get heading inside.

 

They were just walking past the swimming pool and everyone else were standing about saying goodnight when Carol called out.

 

“Lets go skinny dipping!” She kicked off her shoes and started heading towards the pool. Daryl run his hands through his hair watching her and her friends start stripping off their clothes needing little encouragement to join her.

 

“Carol…” Daryl said grabbing her hand and pulling her to his chest because her dress was gone and she was standing there in her panties. Andrea and Michonne were already in their underwear in the pool all the women were topless. Merle thought it was Christmas day or something. “You are going in naked?”

 

“Don’t be shy Daryl… its not like we haven’t done this before.” Carol turned and jumped into the pool with her friends. Daryl stood at the side watching in the half dark with limited lighting hoping that no one needed him to rescue them because short of Carol just about dying in the water he still wasn’t that confident.

 

“Brother… this is amazing. I’ve seen more tits in the past ten minutes than I have all year.” Merle said.

 

“Merle!” Daryl growled.

 

A few pair of panties came flying out of the pool and one pair Merle in the face with a slap, Carol tossed hers at Daryl and giggled wildly. Daryl shook his head not knowing how to possibly get the women out of the pool without looking like a drag or looking uptight about Carol getting naked in front of people.

 

The men were standing about enjoying the show of their women froliking in the water. Daryl couldn’t help but stare at her and how fun she seemed to be. He really wished in that moment he could swim and get in the pool with her.

 

“Get some towels?” Carol asked him, he nodded and moved quickly into his apartment. Aaron looked up from the couch, Eric was working on a laptop at the kitchen table. 

 

“They skinny dipping again?” Aaron asked him, Daryl ducked his head and nodded.

 

“Get used to it. They do it at least once a month, not to mention the Polar plunge.” Eric said.

 

“Polar plunge?”  Daryl said.

 

“When the skinny dip in the snow.” Aaron said. “Those chicks are crazy.”

 

Daryl just shook his head and grabbed an arm full of towels, he peeked in Belles open bedroom door seeing she was still asleep. He took the towels outside and wrapped one around a shivering Carol. He stood by until the last woman was out of the pool and were moving safely into their own apartments, he wasn’t surprised to see his brother trail along behind Andrea.

 

“Come on Carol,” Daryl said. “I’ll get you in the shower warm you up.”

 

Aaron and Eric headed back across the courtyard and Daryl put Carol into the shower she was incredibly more sober than she was than before she went swimming.

 

“Are you mad?” She asked Daryl.

 

“No… just mad I couldn’t join you.”

  
“You can join me in the shower though…” She suggested and before she could finish her thought he was in the shower with her.


	23. Chapter 23

 

Carol woke up with one heck of a hangover, she felt like her legs had been cut off and she groaned as she tried to kick her dog off the end of the bed. Her eyes flicked around the room and she could tell she was in Daryl’s apartment. She could hear Belle and her dads low tones coming down the hallway.

 

She rolled out of bed and into the bathroom. She finished up and headed down the hallway to see what they were up too.

 

Daryl looked up from the kitchen where he was making snacks for Belle, he looked up at Carol and gave her a smile. She shut her eyes from the sunlight.

 

“Someone looks rough.” Daryl said.

 

Carol held her hand up to block out the sunlight. “I’m dying!” 

 

“I think you need some of my super breakfast.” Daryl said. He put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her face.

 

“Take it away.” She whispered, he swapped the plate for orange juice. She downed it and put it down. He swapped it for a glass of water, “I’m going back to bed.”

 

“Are you tired Carol?” Belle asked her.

 

“Very tired, we stayed up late.” Carol said she dropped a kiss on her forehead and Belle screwed up her face.

 

“You smell.” Belle told her. “She smells.” She said to her dad.

 

“I’m a terrible role model for your daughter,” Carol mumbled as Daryl half carried her down the hall to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and sniffed her.

 

“I think its the booze coming out of your system… do you normally drink like that?” He asked her.

 

“Isn’t that something you should've asked before you put a ring on my finger?” Carol mumbled. “I’m dying here… what does that tell you?”

 

Daryl glanced her up and down trying to sneak a peek. “Do you need help getting out of that?” he glanced down her clothes.

 

“I smell… and you are such a perv.” Carol said, “Go keep an eye on your daughter, I don’t want her coming down here wondering what we are doing.”

 

Daryl just gave her a nod and left her to take a shower alone. Carol almost groaned when she stepped under the shower. She was tired and jaded because of the late night. 

 

When she finished her shower she just wrapped her towel around her and plodded back through to the bedroom. She then realized she had no clothes at Daryl’s place that wasn’t her silver dress. Carol pulled open Daryl’s drawers and found herself a tee shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. She then looked at the big bed and crawled back into the bed and shut her eyes. 

 

That’s where Daryl found her half an hour later. Sleeping with her mouth open. He just pulled the door half shut and headed back through the house to take Belle down to the grass area. They went outside and found Harriet sleeping under the big tree outside. 

 

“Is Carol ok?” Belle asked.

 

“We just were late last night.” Daryl told her. “She had her work do on last night. She’s just tired thats all.” Daryl didn’t want to get into talk about Carol drinking.

 

“Oh… I was hoping she was going to have a baby because Chloe's mummy gets tired and she’s having a baby… can we get one?”

 

“Not today.” Daryl told her. Merle came downstairs and took Belle with him for a while so Daryl could check on Carol and make sure she was sleeping ok. He also wanted to talk to her about when they were going to look at getting married. He wanted to do it before Christmas and if Carol was keen they could do it very soon.

 

Carol was spread across the bed still wrapped up in the blankets. Her eyes squinted open when she saw him. She had a hang dog expression on her face.

 

“Harriets outside lying under the tree. Sophia’s with Merle.” Daryl crawled up the bed.

 

“Is Aaron watching the dog?”

 

“Your place’s doors open so she can come and go.” Daryl said. “I wanted to talk to you about getting married.”

 

“Did you can your mind? Cos of the skinny dipping?” Carol rolled towards him.

 

“No… it was kinda sexy. Just wanna get married sooner rather than later… if you still want to?” Daryl leaned in and kissed her.

 

“What did you have in mind?” Carol kissed him back and waited to hear what he had to say.


	24. Chapter 24

 

“Stand still Tink…” Andrea said, she was brushing her hair up into a beautiful style.

 

“I look like a real princess.” Tinker Belle twirled about on the spot.

 

“Tink… your hair.” Andrea tried again to fix her hair.

 

Carol come down the hall dress in white, it was the wedding day. She couldn’t believe it come around so quickly. Belle was beside herself that Carol was becoming her mommy and she couldn’t wait. She had insisted on getting ready with Carol and not being with her daddy. But now she had her dress on she couldn’t help herself from spinning and spinning about. 

“You look beautiful Tink… your daddy is going to be surprised.” Carol said. 

 

“You look amazing Carol,” Andrea said.

 

Carol turned in front of them all her wedding gown was beautiful, backless and it suited her beautifully. Daryl was going to have a fit when he saw it. 

 

“Do I look good enough for daddy?” Carol asked Tinker Belle, Tinker Belle kept spinning and yelled out yes at the same time.

 

“We better get moving before he thinks we are not going.” Andrea said.

 

“Its just outside.” Carol said. “If we were not going we would have to climb out a window.” Carol said. 

 

“Do you want to grow out a window Carol?” the little girl looked surprised.

 

“No I want to marry daddy.” Carol said. “Are you ready?”

 

“Course I’m ready but what took you so long?” Tinker Belle said. 

  
Carol and Tinker belle left the apartment to head out to the courtyard that had been transformed to host a wedding. Daryl and Merle were waiting at the end of a red carpet waiting for Carol to arrive. 


End file.
